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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Sweet Success: Researchers Crack Sugarcane’s Complex Genetic Code
Sugarcane’s genetic code could help researchers develop more resilient and productive crops, with implications for both sugar production and biofuels.
Model Suggests How Ancient RNA May Have Gained Self-Cutting Ability Essential for Life
Random bond breakage led to more copies that broke, meaning that molecules capable of self-cleavage would have been favored by evolution.
Shedding Light on Sea Creatures’ Secrets
A nanoscale look at how shells and coral form revealed a mineral that, until now, had never been seen in living organisms.
From California Dreams to the APS Beamlines, Grace Avellar Supports the APS Upgrade
Mechanical engineering specialist Grace Avellar oversees the successful installation & tracking of components for beamlines as part of the APS Upgrade

University and Stakeholder News

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Staying in the Loop: How Superconductors are Helping Computers “Remember”
A new way to store & transmit information uses disordered superconducting loops to enable computers to retain & retrieve information more efficiently.
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FRIB Project Team Receives Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award
The FRIB Project team received a DOE Secretary of Energy Achievement Award at the annual Secretary’s Honor Awards ceremony held February 20.
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Soft Support Can Make Unexpectedly Stable Glass
A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Brookhaven National Laboratory found a new way to manufacture stable glass.
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Pushing the Boundary on Ultralow Frequency Gravitational Waves
A team of physicists developed a method to detect gravitational waves that oscillate just once every thousand years.
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Recently Featured Articles

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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