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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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.
Chantal Badre Appointed Inaugural Chief of Staff at PPPL
Badre comes to the Lab during a time of expansion for the U.S. national laboratory managed by Princeton University.
Top Jefferson Lab News Stories for 2023
U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility looks back at the stories our audiences found most inspiring this year.
Mentoring Makes a Difference
Earth scientist Laura Fierce mentors DOE Science Graduate Student Research program awardees.

University and Stakeholder News

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Growing Our Gas: UGA Moving Biofuels Closer to Market
Researchers are working on promising pathways like bioenergy and bioproducts, forms of renewable energy and materials that could curb carbon emissions
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UTA, DOE Lab Partner to Prove New Atomic Cooling Techniques
DOE has awarded associate professor Benjamin Jones a $540,000 grant to initiate a new collaborative research partnership between UT Arlington and PNNL
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Jefferson Lab, ODU Launch Joint Institute on Advanced Computing for Environmental Studies
The Joint Institute on Advanced Computing for Environmental Studies (ACES) will be housed within ODU’s new School of Data Science.
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The Secret to Longer Lasting Batteries Might Be in How Soap Works, New Study Says
A promising electrolyte for longer lasting lithium batteries has complex nanostructures that act like micelle structures do in soaped water.
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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