Former Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Dies in NM Car Crash

In a tragic incident, Charles McMillan, a prominent figure in U.S. nuclear weapons research, has passed away due to injuries sustained in a car accident in New Mexico. He was 69 years old.

McMillan, an experimental physicist, dedicated nearly 23 years to various roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and spent around 18 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He served as the director of Los Alamos for six years before retiring in 2017.

The accident occurred early Friday morning on Main Hill, a roadway located near Los Alamos. Following the crash, McMillan was taken to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. The current director of Los Alamos Laboratory, Thom Mason, expressed deep condolences to McMillan’s family and acknowledged the impact of his loss on both current and former employees who had the opportunity to work with him.

Michael Drake, the president of the University of California system, described McMillan as an exceptional leader and scientist who made significant contributions to both science and national security. His commendable work reflected his commitment to the greater good.

Lawrence Livermore, east of San Francisco, has a rich history dating back to its establishment as a university spinoff in 1952. Today, it is operated by the federal government while maintaining close ties to its associated universities.

McMillan joined Los Alamos in 2006, encouraged by his friend and mentor, Michael Anastasio, who was then the laboratory director. He first held the position of principal associate director for weapons programs prior to his appointment as director in 2011. Under his leadership, Los Alamos experienced significant expansions and faced several safety incidents, including a notable radiation leak in 2014 at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico, which was traced back to improperly packaged waste materials from the laboratory.

In 2015, investigations by the National Nuclear Security Administration revealed that Los Alamos had violated health and safety regulations, resulting in the laboratory being penalized over $10 million in performance awards. Despite these challenges, Mason highlighted McMillan’s contributions toward developing an HIV vaccine and improving climate change modeling.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, praised McMillan for his invaluable contributions to science and national security. He underscored McMillan’s significant advancements in supercomputing and artificial intelligence as critical to both New Mexico and the broader scientific community.

Nella Domenici, who is running as a Republican challenger for Heinrich’s Senate seat, referred to McMillan’s passing as a significant loss for the scientific community and offered her condolences to his family.

In the aftermath of the crash, Los Alamos police and fire officials reported that three individuals received treatment for injuries. Both McMillan and a 22-year-old woman were hospitalized following the collision, which occurred around 5 a.m. An investigation into the cause of the accident is currently ongoing.