John Szymanski, PhD
LGNA Member and Chief Strategist
Dr. John Szymanski is a Guild Member and Chief Strategist at LGNA, following a distinguished career at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he served as Chief Scientist for the Global Security directorate. During his tenure at LANL, he held key leadership roles, including Deputy Division Leader and Program Director for Nuclear Nonproliferation programs. In these positions, he managed high-stakes portfolios spanning nuclear safeguards, space sensors, nuclear emergency response, nuclear-weapon pit disassembly, and materials security. His technical expertise eventually transitioned into optical remote sensing, where he directed multiple foundational projects and programs.
Dr. Szymanski's leadership extends deep into national policy and defense advisory. During the Obama Administration, he served as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he spearheaded the 2012 National Nuclear-Defense R&D plan, advanced small modular reactor (SMR) development, and coordinated activities in quantum information sciences. Additionally, as a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, he led national laboratory reviews and participated in critical strategic studies regarding the protection of forward U.S. bases and the validation of new nuclear weapons systems. He earned his Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics from Carnegie-Mellon University and has contributed to numerous National Academies and Department of Energy panels.