Getting to the Foundry
The Molecular Foundry (Foundry) consists of two main buildings (B67 and B72) located on the main campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab; also abbreviated as LBNL or LBL). Berkeley Lab is located in Berkeley, California, in the hills above the University of California Berkeley campus (UC Berkeley). The University of California manages Berkeley Lab, but Berkeley Lab is not part of UC Berkeley.
Our “Visit the Foundry” page has more directions on how to get to Berkeley Lab.
Berkeley Lab Site Access and Badge
Most Foundry user projects involve users coming to work on-site at the Foundry for some period of time, anywhere from a few days to a year. All users working on-site at the Foundry (and some of those who work off-site) must be appointed as an LBNL Affiliate in order to receive a Berkeley Lab badge and a Berkeley Lab identity account (sometimes called an “LDAP”). Your Berkeley Lab identity credentials are used to access the online safety and training systems, instrument reservation calendars, compute clusters, and Berkeley Lab email. See the New User Guide for instructions on how to get a Berkeley Lab badge.
Generally, most users are able to work onsite at Berkeley Lab. However, users who are from T4 countries (Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria), need DOE permission and authorization from other U.S. Government agencies to work with Berkeley Lab, a process which can take 6 months or longer to obtain with no guarantee of approval.
Sign Up for New User Orientation
All new users who will be working onsite must sign up for this in-person training. Learn more and sign up on this page.
Update Your User Profile
All users must have an account on the Foundry User Portal. Your email address will be your login name on the User Portal. If you are logging in to the User Portal for the first time but are already listed as a user on a Foundry proposal, make sure you use the same email address for your User Portal account as is listed on the proposal in order to avoid creating a duplicate account. If you need help with your User Portal account, contact the User Office.
During your Foundry orientation, you will be asked to update your user profile with your local contact information and a photograph. You can enter those details or make other changes at any time through the User Portal.
If your affiliation or contact information changes, please update your user profile promptly.
Check Your User Proposal
In order to work at the Foundry, you must be listed as an on-site user on an approved user proposal. You can view all your current and past Foundry proposals by logging in to the User Portal. Before you can begin work on an approved proposal, it must first be activated by your Assigned Scientist.
You should be familiar with the following information for your approved proposal before starting work:
- Assigned Scientist: This is your scientific and safety point of contact. If you aren’t sure who your Assigned Scientist is, log in to the User Portal to view your proposal.
- Lead Facility: This is the home facility for your proposal and typically is where you’ll do the majority of your work.
- Support Facilities: Your proposal may have requested access to one or more additional support facilities at the Foundry. Access to these facilities may be contingent on further discussion of your project with facility staff.
Setup Your Lab Google Account
Berkeley Lab uses the Google Suite of tools, including gmail, calendar, and documents. Log in here with your Berkeley Lab identity credentials to access your email and the Google Suite.
You will be expected to receive and read any messages sent to your Berkeley Lab email account during your time at the Foundry. If you don’t plan to check your Berkeley Lab email on a regular basis, you must set up automatic forwarding from your Berkeley Lab account to your preferred email address.
How to Get Help
The User Office staff are here to help you at any point before, during, and after your visit to the Foundry.
- Email: foundry-useroffice@lbl.gov
- Phone: 510-486-7423
- Office location: Building 67, Room 3201 (3rd floor)
- Mailing address: 1 Cyclotron Road, Mail Stop 67-3207, Berkeley CA 94720
Next section: 2. Training and Safety
