Our Mission

DOE’s Office of Science has a mission to deliver scientific discoveries and major scientific tools to transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States. We are the nation’s largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences and are a major supporter of research in such key scientific fields as physics, materials science, computing, and chemistry. We are also the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research related to energy.

To keep America in the forefront of discovery and innovation, we sponsor research at hundreds of universities, national laboratories, and other institutions across the country. We also build and maintain a vitally important array of large-scale scientific facilities at the DOE national laboratories, which are used by thousands of researchers every year.

About the Office of Science

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences, the steward of 10 DOE national laboratories, and the lead federal agency supporting fundamental research for energy production and security. Our job is to keep America at the forefront of discovery. This video is an overview of the Office of Science’s mission, people, and resources.
Video courtesy of DOE's Office of Science

Science Headlines

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Hacking DNA to Make Next-Gen Materials
Scientists developed a universal method for producing a wide variety of functional, 3D metallic and semiconductor nanostructures.
ORNL Wins Five Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards
The FLC represents more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies and research centers nationwide.
Argonne X-Rays Light the Way to More Stable Solar Cell Materials
By tracking the movement of ions in perovskites, scientists hope to discover how to prevent solar cell degradation in a new kind of solar cell.
Chemical and Computational Advances Enable 2D Proteomics Measurements of Spatial Signals
Spatial proteomics enables researchers to link protein measurements to features in the image of a tissue sample.

University and Stakeholder News

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A Facile and Accessible Plasma Hotter Than the Surface of The Sun
A joint research team from University of Maryland and Princeton University has invented a new plasma technology capable of reaching 8,000 Celsius.
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MIT Engineers Develop a Way to Determine How the Surfaces of Materials Behave
Using machine learning, the computational method can provide details of how materials work as catalysts, semiconductors, or battery components.
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Graduate Student Receives Department of Energy Research Award
Stephen Porter, a grad student at The University of New Mexico, has been selected to receive DOE's Office of Science Graduate Student Research Award.
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Rochester’s Laser Lab Heads New National Inertial Fusion Energy Hub
Federal funding brings together experts to chart a viable path to realizing fusion energy as a clean power source.
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Science Highlights

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Dept. of Energy Office of Science delivers scientific discoveries, tools for the nation via programs in Advanced Scientific Computing Research; Basic Energy Sciences; Biological & Environmental Research; Fusion Energy Sciences; High Energy Physics; Nuclear Physics. Also supports Accelerator Research; Isotope Research; Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer; 5 national quantum centers; 2 energy innovation hubs. Stewards 10 DOE national labs. 100-plus Nobel Prizes, $8.1 billion budget.

The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Image courtesy of the Department of Energy Office of Science