Dr. Manyalibo (“Ibo”) Matthews leads the Materials Science Division (MSD) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he oversees more than 500 staff. The division is organized into 18 scientific capability groups, who together execute research projects representing more than $250M in annual investments to support LLNL missions. The division’s research includes energetic, optical, and quantum materials, as well as ceramics, actinides, and materials for energy applications and extreme environments. 

Prior to taking on the division leader role in 2021, Matthews served as a group leader in MSD, which is part of LLNL’s Physical and Life Sciences Directorate. He also served as a program group leader in LLNL’s National Ignition Facility and Photon Science Directorate, where he led a team of 40 staff charged with developing new methods in laser materials processing and studying laser-matter interactions in a variety of materials. His research interests include understanding and optimizing metal 3D printing processes, laser materials processing, high-power-laser damage mechanisms, laser-based nanoscale surface modification, vibrational spectroscopy, confocal microscopy, and in situ characterization of transient processes. His scientific work has been featured in three book chapters and more than 175 peer-reviewed publications with >11,000 citations, including more than a dozen journal covers. His technical contributions have also led to 20 U.S. patents.   

Matthews is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (Optica) and a 2019 alum of the Frontiers of Engineering Program, sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering. In 2022 he was recognized as one of Electro Optic’s “Photonics100” innovators. He led an LLNL task force aimed at improving employee development opportunities at the Laboratory, and he continues to invest his time to develop mentorship programs and expand outreach to students at minority-serving institutions, inspiring the next generation to consider careers in science. 

Prior to joining LLNL in 2006, he was member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, where he worked on advanced methods for optical materials characterization and led a research team in advanced broadband access networks. Matthews earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in experimental condensed matter physics, and his B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of California at Davis.