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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Preventing Magnet Meltdowns Before They Can Start
LBNL researchers are developing an approach to avoid sudden, potentially destructive energy releases in a new generation of superconducting magnets.
Giving Particle Detectors a Boost
Argonne researchers have created a device that acts like a superconductivity switch, helping boost the signal of tiny particles in particle colliders.
KC Cushman: Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Cushman, a fellow at ORNL, has been studying trees and forests in an effort to help humans care for them and improve the health of the planet.
Italy Native Finds New Home at Jefferson Lab
Raffaella De Vita works with staff & users on software development for simulation, reconstruction & analysis, and the CLAS12 high luminosity upgrade.

University and Stakeholder News

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Type 2 Diabetes Alters the Behavior of Discs in the Vertebral Column
Researchers employed synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to look at collagen fibril deformation and orientation at the nanoscale.
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Engineer Designs Molecules For Our Quantum Future
Chloe Washabaugh, a UChicago Ph.D. student in quantum engineering, creates high-performance qubits to help expand the applications of quantum devices.
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Researchers Prove Fundamental Limits of Electromagnetic Energy Absorption
Electrical engineers determined the theoretical fundamental limit for how much electromagnetic energy a material with a given thickness can absorb.
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Discovery of New Plant Protein Fold May Be Seed for Anti-Cancer Drugs
Researchers discovered a new plant biochemistry with an unusual ability to form cyclic peptides—molecules that can bind to challenging drug targets.
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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