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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'Diamond Rain' on Icy Planets Offers Clues Into Magnetic Field Mysteries
An international team led by researchers from SLAC gained new insights into the formation of diamonds on icy planets such as Neptune and Uranus.
Final Supernova Results from Dark Energy Survey Offer Unique Insights Into the Expansion of the Universe
To understand the nature of dark energy and measure the expansion rate of the universe, DES scientists perform analyses with four different techniques
Theta Supercomputer Set to Retire: A Look Back at its Impact on Science at Argonne and Beyond
Theta helped advance the lab’s efforts to support research involving a mix of simulation, AI and data analysis tasks.
A Day in the Life of a Mountaintop Telescope Builder
Margaux Lopez is helping prepare the Vera Rubin Observatory for the arrival of the largest digital camera ever built for astrophysics and cosmology.

University and Stakeholder News

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Capturing Wellhead Gases for Profit and a Cleaner Environment
The processes involve an enzyme centered around a reactive metal that catalyzes the insertion of an oxygen atom between a carbon and hydrogen bond.
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New Study Indicates C4 Crops Less Sensitive to Ozone Pollution Than C3 Crops
Researchers studied five C3 crops (chickpea, rice, snap bean, soybean, wheat) and four C4 crops (sorghum, maize, Miscanthus × giganteus, switchgrass).
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Researchers' Breakthrough in Thermal Transport Could Enable Novel Cooling Strategies
A team of researchers discovered a new heat dissipation channel using phonon polaritons for novel cooling technologies in modern electronics.
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Unlocking the Secrets of Spin with High-Harmonic Probes
Using extreme ultraviolet high-harmonic generation as a probe, the researchers tracked the re-orientations of the spins inside the CoMnGa compound.
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Science Highlights

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