Insider Brief
- Fermilab has dedicated the new Helen Edwards Engineering Research Center, its largest purpose-built lab and office facility since 1974, honoring the pioneering accelerator physicist Dr. Helen Edwards.
- The 80,000-square-foot building will support major research areas, including neutrino science, particle detectors, electronics, ASIC development, and quantum science.
- The facility includes cleanrooms, cryogenic labs, and vibration-sensitive spaces and will play a central role in developing components for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE).
PRESS RELEASE — Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory hosted a building dedication ceremony today for the Helen Edwards Engineering Research Center with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, state and local officials, and national partners in attendance. They joined the Fermilab community in unveiling the building’s official name that commemorates Dr. Helen Edwards’ pioneering research. The new building is the lab’s largest purpose-built lab and office space since the lab’s iconic Wilson Hall was completed in 1974.
Edwards was a renowned accelerator physicist best known for her work at Fermilab, including the design and operation of the Tevatron. The Tevatron held the title of the world’s most powerful particle collider for over 25 years and enabled the discoveries of the top quark in 1995 and the tau neutrino in 2000 — two of the three fundamental particles first discovered at Fermilab.
“Dr. Edwards’ scientific work is a symbol of the pioneering spirit of U.S research. Her contributions to the Tevatron and the lab helped the United States become a world leader in the study of elementary particles. We honor her legacy today by naming this research center after her as Fermilab continues shaping the next generation of research using AI, ML and quantum physics,” said Dr. Darío Gil, the under secretary for science at the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Helen Edwards Engineering Research Center is an 80,000-square-foot, multi-story laboratory and office building adjacent to Fermilab’s iconic Wilson Hall. It is a collaborative laboratory where engineers, scientists and technicians tackle the technical challenges of particle physics and pioneer groundbreaking advancements. Together, they are designing, building and testing technologies across several areas of research, including neutrino science, particle detectors, quantum science, electronics, application-specific integrated circuit development, and more.
The building boasts operational efficiencies and supports the ongoing research and planning for the premier international experiment hosted by Fermilab, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), aligned with DOE’s goal of unleashing American innovation.
In addition to traditional workspaces like offices and conference rooms, the center features cleanrooms, vibration-sensitive labs and cryogenic facilities where the components of the near detector for DUNE will be assembled and tested. The spaces are designed to be reconfigurable and adaptable to future projects.
“Fermilab’s ability to drive American leadership in particle physics is due to visionaries like Helen Edwards,” said Fermilab Interim Director Young-Kee Kim. “Her contributions and leadership made many of our scientific discoveries possible. It is fitting that we remember her in this space where new technological breakthroughs will be discovered.”
Dr. Edwards’ love of nature, her passion for increasing our understanding of our universe and her collaborative spirit to make big things a reality continue to serve as inspirations for the Fermilab community today. She died in 2016, three years before construction began on the building that now bears her name.
A congressional resolution was introduced on February 3, 2023, to recognize the name of the new building, and it was signed into law on December 23, 2024.
Crews finished the construction of the building in the fall of 2022. The Helen Edwards Engineering Research Center connects to Wilson Hall, the 16-story high-rise named after Fermilab founding director Robert Wilson. The engineering center was funded by the Department of Energy’s Science Laboratory Infrastructure program and is intended to meet current and future needs for research performed at Fermilab for the DOE Office of Science.
