Monika Biener joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 2006. She received her Master’s degree in Physics from University of Bayreuth and her PhD degree in Physical Chemistry for her research at Harvard University on the topic of 2D metal oxides on Au surfaces. During her postdoctoral appointment at LLNL she worked on material development and characterization for high energy density physics (HED) targets and renewable energy applications. Since 2010 she is a staff scientist of LLNL’s Condensed Matter and Materials Division, and is responsible for the development of new low density materials for LLNL’s HED physics program. She has over 50 publications in the field of surface chemistry, thin films, and physics and mechanics of nanostructured materials.