As Brookhaven National Laboratory prepares to end operations of its Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at month’s end while working on a new one, Brookhaven Science Associates, which runs the Upton facility, confirmed it is offering voluntary separations to an unspecified number of staff in certain science and operations areas.
In response to Newsday’s questions late last month, BNL said the final number of accepted separations had not yet been determined as a review of applications remained underway. One federal government source said the number of employees who had been offered separations totaled around 40, but that more than 130 had requested to take it. BNL spokesman Peter Genzer declined to confirm it.
“Personnel and staffing decisions will ensure that all critical functions will remain fully staffed,” Genzer said in his response. “Brookhaven Lab remains committed to delivering on the missions of the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors.”
The staff reduction comes as BNL is preparing for the upcoming end of operations of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the transition to building the Electron-Ion Collider, expected to be operational in the mid-2030s. The reduction is also a “realignment of work to support our science mission.”
In any case, Genzer said, separations were the result of a “thorough evaluation and deliberate planning focused on ensuring the Lab’s long-term success.”
One public official expressed concern about the staff reductions.
“We are in regular contact with BNL, and they have confirmed an ongoing reduction in force,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a written response to Newsday. “The Trump administration and DOGE have taken an imprecise and damaging chainsaw to our federal workforce, and we must not let that happen at BNL,” he added, referring to Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and its reductions across the federal workforce.
“We are watching like a hawk for any unnecessary layoffs or reductions in force and will work to preserve the talented and productive workers at BNL,” Schumer said.
The heavy ion collider is expected to complete its final run on Jan. 28, after 25 years of “groundbreaking discoveries,” Genzer said. “We’ll then begin work in earnest to transform it into the Electron-Ion Collider.”
Most staff of the heavy ion collider, including scientists, technicians, engineers and operations staff, will transition to the new Electron-Ion Collider project, he added.
Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.