Timeline
| 1976 | Physicists envision and request facility as a necessary tool to answer emerging questions about the quark structure of matter |
| 1980 | Develop initial design |
| 1983 | Department of Energy selects SURA proposal after competition with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Illinois, Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Bureau of Standards |
| 1984 | Department of Energy selects Newport News site and provides funding for research, development and design |
| 1985 | Adopt superconducting electron accelerating technology |
| 1987 | Construction begins on Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) |
| 1995 | First physics experiments starts |
| 1995 | Accelerator readies design energy of 4 GeV(billion electron volts) |
| 1996 |
CEBAF changes name to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility(Jefferson Lab); Free-Electron Laser (FEL) construction underway |
| 1996 | Applied Research Center (ARC) breaks ground |
| 1997 | Deliver simultaneous 5-pass, 4 GeV, 3-beam separation to all three experimental halls |
| 1998 | Free-Electron Laser achieves first light at 155 watts — 28 times the existing power record |
| 1999 | Free-Electron Laser achieves 1720 watts |
| 1999 | Installation of second polarized electron gun boosts physics program |
| 2000 | Reach enhanced design energy of 6.07 GeV |
| 2000 | Department of Energy taps Jefferson Lab Director Hermann Grunder to lead Argonne National Laboratory |
| 2000 | The Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) endorses Jefferson Lab's proposed accelerator upgrade to 12 GeV and construction of a fourth experimental hall (Hall D) as a highest priority |
| 2000 | Jefferson Lab receives the contract to engineer and assemble the superconducting accelerator and to design and oversee installation of the helium refrigeration plant for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) being built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the Oak Ridge National Lab |
| 2001 | Design work underway to upgrade the energy of the CEBAF accelerator to 12 GeV and to build a fourth experimental hall |
| 2001 | Construction begins for the upgrade of the Free-Electron Laser to reach 10 kilowatts infrared and one kilowatt of ultraviolet light |
| 2001 | Larry Cardman, Associate Director of the Physics Division, is named a Governor's Distinguished CEBAF Professor; position hosted by the University of Virginia |
| 2001 | Jefferson Lab participates in the Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, which will enable computing on the terascale level (systems capable of conducting trillions of calculations per second) |
| 2001 | Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) names Jefferson Lab's interim director and formerly the Lab's deputy director Christoph W. Leemann as Jefferson Lab's new director |
| 2001 | Jefferson Lab FEL terahertz radiation experiment generates levels 20,000 times brighter than anyone else; November 2002 issue of Nature subsequently publishes results |
| 2002 | The Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge, Tenn. receives the first Jefferson Lab designed and built cryomodule. |
| 2003 | Dirk Walecka, College of William & Mary physics professor and former scientific director of CEBAF (now Jefferson Lab), is named Virginia's Life Achievement in Science recipient for 2003 |
| 2003 | Jefferson Lab conducts a novel experiment with the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of energy-recovery technology, which could lead to the development of a new class of particle accelerators |
| 2003 | DOE's 20-year facility plan names Jefferson Lab's 12 GeV Upgrade one of the 12 near-term priorities in November 10, 2003 |
| 2004 | Anatoly Rayushkin, a jointly appointed physics professor at Old Dominion University and senior scientist at Jefferson Lab, is named a Virginia Outstanding Scientist of 2004 |
| 2004 | Jefferson Lab's 12 GeV Upgrade achieves Critical Decision-Zero (CD-0), a DOE designation that recognizes the "mission need" for the Upgrade and allows the Lab to develop conceptual, acquisition and project execution plans |
| 2004 | Construction begins on the CEBAF Center Addition, which creates 60,000 square feet of office space to replace space lost to the demolition of temporary trailers |
| 2004 | Free-Electron Laser achieves 10 kilowatts (Infrared) |
| 2005 | Jefferson Lab produces first single-crystal niobium accelerating cavity prototype in a proposed design for the planned International Linear Collider (ILC) |
| 2005 | Jefferson Lab delivers final cryomodule for the Spallation Neutron Source, located at Oak Ridge National Lab in Oak Ridge, TN |
| 2005 | Free-Electron Laser earns R&D 100 Award |
| 2006 | Occupancy begins upon completion of CEBAF Center Addition in January 2006 |
| 2006 | Jefferson Science Associates, LLC signs contract to manage Jefferson Lab |
| 2006 | Upgrade Free-Electron Laser surpasses 10kW design to achieve 14.2kW in the infrared |
| 2007 | 12 GeV Upgrade Project receives Critical Decision-2 approval from the Department of Energy |
| 2007 | Cryogenics Group wins prestigious White House Award for major energy-saving advancements |
| 2008 | 12 GeV Upgrade receives CD-3 approval from the Department of Energy, clearing the way for construction to begin on the $310 million project. |
| 2008 | Hugh E. Montgomery appointed Jefferson Lab director |
