It houses the world's largest normal conducting cyclotron,[3] a source of 520 MeV protons, which was named an IEEE Milestone in 2010.

Over 500 scientists, engineers, technicians, tradespeople, administrative staff, postdoctoral fellows, and students work at the site.

TRIUMF has had nine directors of its operations: 1965 – BC nuclear physicists agree on meson facility 1968 – John Warren becomes first director of TRIUMF 1969 – TRIUMF holds opening ceremony 1970 – Ground-breaking ceremony 1971 – Cyclotron assembly begins, Reginald Richardson becomes director of TRIUMF 1974 – Cyclotron produces its first beam 1975 – Proton science program initiated, first polarized proton beam, first μSR experiment at TRIUMF 1976 – Pierre Elliot Trudeau's official dedication, Dr. Erich Vogt becomes an Officer of the Order of Canada, Jack Sample becomes director of TRIUMF 1977 – Medium-resolution spectrometer MRS in operation, first Ph.Ds using TRIUMF beams 1978 – Neutron activation analysis started, AECL/Nordion agreement for medical isotope production, first production of Iodine-123 on Beamline 4A for distribution in Canada 1979 – First new pion/muon beamline M13, pion cancer therapy program initiated 1980 – PET camera construction begins (2nd in Canada), TPC built to study rare decas (1st used in an experiment) 1981 – KAON Factory studies initiated, Erich Vogt becomes director of TRIUMF 1982 – Isotope pipeline to UBC hospital installed, completion of n-p and p-p program, AECL Commercial Products ships first isotopes from TRIUMF 1983 – PET dedicated by the Queen, first commercial cyclotron on site, first isotope separation on-line (ISOL) study 1985 – First purpose-built surface muon channel, NSERC funds HERA beamline at the DESY Lab in Germany 1986 – Contribution to 50 MeV beamline to HERA on behalf of Canada 1987 – Yamasaki awarded Imperial Medal (μSR cited), TISOL facility produces first radioactive beam, University of Manitoba and Université de Montréal become associate members, TRIUMF becomes Canada's national meson facility 1988 – EBCO makes first 30 MeV medical cyclotron, KAON Factory project-definition study funded, University of Toronto becomes an associate member 1989 – NRC adds Tech Transfer to TRIUMF mandate, University of Regina becomes an associate member 1990 – TR-30 installed, ISACI(isotope accelerator) design begins 1991 – Buckyballs studied by μSR, Second arm spectrometer SASP completed 1992 – Rob Kiefl wins Herzberg Medal for MuSR studies, TISOL Red Giant 12C(α,γ) 1993 – Atom trapping begins at TRIUMF, TR-13 medical cyclotron installed 1994 – Alan Astbury becomes director of TRIUMF, ATLAS and LHC involvement at CERN initiated 1995 – Ocular melanoma treatment begins, TRINAT first traps atoms, HERMES detector components to HERA, commercial radiation effect testing with protons begin 1996 – BaBar central wire chamber construction approved 1997 – ISAC-I civil construction begins, TWIST approved, SNO involvement begins, DRAGON experiment proposed 1998 – First beam from ISAC-I, Carleton University and Queens University become associate members, BaBar central wire chamber delivered, NSERC funds DRAGON 1999 – World's highest proton beam current ISOL (isotope online) facility, lifetime measurements of 37-K at ISAC, TRIUMF becomes Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics 2000 – Carleton University becomes a full member, McMaster University becomes an associate member, ISAC-II approved, ISAC-I accelerates first stable beam, CSI awarded for new PET, 8π spectrometer moved to TRIUMF 2001 – ISAC first accelerated rare-isotopes, first ISAC-I PRL, TUDA and DRAGON commissioned 2002 – Initial TIGRESS funding, TITAN development begins 2003 – University of Guelph becomes associate member, ISAC-II building opened, LHC magnets delivered to Geneva, Switzerland, ATLAS Tier-1 first CPUs received 2004 – University of Toronto becomes a full member, Saint Mary's University becomes an associate member, Seaborg Award to Don Fleming for pioneering work in muonium, charge radius of 11Li measured, T2K collaboration with J-PARC begins, Synergy Award for collaboration between TRIUMF and Nordion 2005 – 100th patient treated for ocular melanoma, TUDA 21Na(ρ,ρ')21Na results published, Jean-Michel Poutissou awarded Legion of Honour (France), first muon decay results from TWIST experiment 2006 – DRAGON 26Al(ρ,γ)27Si results published 2007 – Université de Montréal becomes a full member, Synergy Award for collaboration between TRIUMF and D-PACE, Nigel Lockyer becomes director of TRIUMF, first ISAC-II experiment 11Li(ρ,t)9Li measurement with MAYA, mass measurement of 11Li (shortest-lived and lightest ion ever measured in Penning trap) 2008 – TUDA measurement of 18F(ρ,α)15O, TRIUMF forms AAPS (Advanced Applied Physics Solutions) with CECR Research and development partnership with VECC Laboratory, Kolkata, India begins, Mass measurement of 6He (lightest ever so measured) 2009 – TIGRESS fully operational, new Nordion/TRIUMF radio-chemistry R&D initiative, TWIST obtains final results on muon decay, M9 beam line upgrade completed 2010 – ARIEL (Advanced Rare IsotopE Laboratory) project begins, first actinide target at ISAC 2011 – TRIUMF sets a world record for isotope production[10] 2015 – A TRIUMF-led multidisciplinary consortium is awarded the NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering for their outstanding collaboration in realizing a solution for the safe and reliable production of the critical medical isotope technetium-99m using cyclotrons.

[11] The consortium includes physics, chemistry, and nuclear medicine experts from TRIUMF, the BC Cancer Agency, the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC), the Lawson Health Research Institute, and the University of British Columbia[12] 2018 – TRIUMF Celebrates its semicentennial, 50-years of operations, since receiving first funding.

TRIUMF is owned and operated as a joint venture by a consortium of 21 universities, including 14 full and 7 associate members.

Established in 2017, it replaced Advanced Applied Physics Solutions, Inc. (AAPS), TRIUMF's previous commercialization entity.

The 520 MeV (million electron volts) variable energy cyclotron accelerates these ions with a high frequency alternating electric field and uses a massive six-sector magnet to confine the beam in an outward spiral trajectory.

Inserting a very thin graphite extraction foil strips, or removes, the electrons from the H− ion while allowing the proton to pass through.

In the ISAC-I facility, 500 MeV protons at up to 100 μA can be steered onto one of two production targets to produce radioactive isotopes.

Experiments at ISAC-I include: A microscope used to examine the behaviour of atomic nuclear produced, which are collected at the centre of 8pi where they undergo radioactive decay.

The main component of the 8π spectrometer are the Hyper-pure Germanium detectors used to observe gamma rays emitted from excited states of daughter nuclei.

The Collinear Fast-Beam Laser Spectroscopy (CFBS) experiment at TRIUMF is designed to exploit the high beam-intensity and radioisotope-production capability of TRIUMF's ISAC facility, as well as modern ion-trap beam-cooling techniques, in order to measure the hyperfine energy levels and isotope shifts of short-lived isotopes using laser spectroscopy.

TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) measures the mass of short-lived isotopes with high precision.

ATLAS will also search for phenomena "beyond the standard model" of particle physics such as supersymmetry, extra dimensions, and quark compositeness.

TRIUMF's Science and Technology Department designs and constructs complete detector systems including mechanics, services, front end electronics, digital signal processing and data acquisition.

The core of the TRIUMF nuclear medicine program is Positron Emission Tomography or PET imaging, a technique whereby tiny amounts of radioactive nuclei known as radioisotopes are combined with certain bio-molecules and injected into the body.

Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre (PPRC) is a joint TRIUMF/UBC program studying central nervous system disorders.

Capital acquired through the BC Provincial Health Services Authority Emerging Technologies Fund allowed purchase of the province's first hybrid PET/CT scanner in 2004.

The clinical PET/CT program, located at BCCA's Vancouver Centre, was enabled by TRIUMF supplying 18F, the positron emitting radionuclide used in production of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).

FDG, as a marker of glucose metabolism, is the tracer used in oncologic PET imaging, a diagnostic study which has become a standard of care in the management of many cancer types.

Beginning in 1995, TRIUMF has built up several beamlines that provide low-intensity, energetic proton and neutron beams to simulate radiation exposures either in space or terrestrial environments.

Even at low intensity, several minutes of exposure in these beams can correspond to years of operation in space, air, or ground so that accelerated testing of electronics can be carried out.

Because the beam of protons is so concentrated and deposits its energy so predictably, we can successfully destroy a tumour while better preserving the other nearby parts of the eye.

TRIUMF is also involved in the development and construction of detectors and equipment for larger particle physics experiments located all over the world.

The international ALPHA Collaboration, focused on trapping antihydrogen with experiments based at CERN, includes members from TRIUMF.

[18] TRIUMF has a longstanding collaborative relationship with Japan's KEK, which was further enhanced in December, 2015 when it was announced that each organization would be establishing branch offices at the other's respective institution to facilitate the advancement of their physics research activities.

Notable examples include the Helium and Lead Observatory (HALO) supernova neutrino detector which is part of the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS)[24] and Dark Matter Experiment using Argon Pulse-shape discrimination (DEAP) the most sensitive weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) detector to date.

TRIUMF is involved in constructing a time projection chamber and fine-grained detectors composed of plastic scintillators for the T2K near detector, to measure the properties of the neutrino beam at its production site in Tokai before it travels 295 km to Kamioka, over which distance neutrino oscillations are expected to take place.