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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Springing Simulations Forward with Quantum Computing
Researchers developed an algorithm with exponential advantage for simulating systems of coupled masses and springs on quantum computers.
Theoretical Physicist Dekrayat Almaalol Receives 2024 Leona Woods Lectureship Award
The postdoctoral theorist is recognized for her work in hydrodynamic simulations, shedding light on the earliest moments after the big bang.
U.S. Department of Energy's INCITE Program Seeks Proposals for 2025 to Advance Science and Engineering at U.S. Leadership Computing Facilities
The INCITE program is aimed at large-scale scientific computing projects that require the power and scale of the nation’s fastest supercomputers.
Ames National Laboratory Partners with NETL and Other DOE Labs to Launch a New Critical Materials Research Facility
Ames National Laboratory will partner with eight other DOE National Laboratories to support the Critical Materials Supply Chain Research Facility.

University and Stakeholder News

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First Results from BREAD Experiment Demonstrate a New Approach to Searching for Dark Matter
The BREAD detector searches for “axions” or “dark photons” - particles with extremely small masses that could be converted into a visible photon.
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Chemistry Researchers Modify Solar Technology to Produce a Less Harmful Greenhouse Gas
Researchers used methyl termination to modify the surface of silicon, used in solar cells, to improve conversion of CO2 into CO using sunlight.
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Nothing is Everything: How Hidden Emptiness Can Define the Usefulness of Filtration Materials
A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign emphasizes the importance of nanoscale empty space in everyday materials.
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Single Photons Go for Gold
Columbia University student Emanuil Yanev talks about his PhD work modifying 2D materials to push their light-producing limits.
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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