The UCLA Isotope Laboratory was the first of five labs devoted to radiocarbon dating in the UC system. The Isotope Lab operated in the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics from 1959 to 2004. It was founded by Professor Willard F. Libby (1908-1980), a noted chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1960 for his role in developing the science of radiocarbon dating. Libby joined the Chemistry department at UCLA in 1959. In 1962, he was appointed director of the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics.

Prior to his tenure at UCLA, Libby earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Berkeley. He began his career as an Assistant Professor there in 1931. During WWII, Libby was actively involved in the Manhattan Project. He played a key role in developing a gaseous diffusion method to separate the uranium isotopes, which was used in the process for uranium enrichment. After the war, Libby joined the chemistry department at the University of Chicago, where he founded the nation's first laboratory devoted to radiocarbon dating at the University's Institute for Nuclear Studies.

The UCLA Isotope Laboratory was supervised by Professor C. Rainer Berger (1930-2002) beginning in 1967. Berger was hired by Libby as a research associate in 1963 to help develop the Isotope Lab. Throughout his long career at UCLA, Berger served as a professor in several departments, including history, geography and anthropology. He retired in 1994.

In addition to their work in establishing and running the Isotope Lab, Libby and Berger authored numerous publications. Most notably, Radiocarbon Dating (Libby, 1955) and Scientific Methods in Medieval Archaeology (Berger, 1970). Both Libby and Berger received numerous distinctions throughout their respective careers.