DOE’s Office of Science is now Accepting Applications for Graduate Student Research Awards

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is pleased to announce that the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2026 solicitation 1. Applications are due on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. 

SCGSR application assistance workshops will be held on March 5, 2026, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. ET (register on Zoom) and April 9, 2026, 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. ET (register on Zoom). The first workshop will provide a general overview of the program and application requirements. It will also include time for attendees to discuss their potential research topics and their alignment with the SCGSR priority areas with managers of each participating program office. The second workshop will guide attendees through the application process, answer general questions, provide guidance on proposal writing, and feature discussions with scientists and former awardees. Additionally, the program manager will host virtual office hours every Friday 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET starting on March 6, 2026 via this Zoom link.

The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students for conducting part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE National Laboratory in collaboration with a DOE National Laboratory scientist. The goal of the program is to prepare graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the mission of DOE’s Office of Science, with a special emphasis in supporting the goals of the Genesis Mission. The research opportunity will advance the graduate students’ overall graduate theses while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the host DOE National Laboratories. In addition, SCGSR awardees may have the opportunity for short international research visits to select prestigious centers to broaden their horizons.

Since its inception in 2014, the SCGSR program has provided support to over 1,300 graduate awardees from more than 170 U.S. universities to conduct thesis research at all 17 DOE National Laboratories across the nation. Areas of research include but are not limited to: physics, chemistry, materials science, planetary science, geosciences, biosciences (non-medical), nuclear fusion science and engineering, mathematics, computer and computational sciences, engineering, microelectronics, quantum information science, and artificial intelligence.

The Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) sponsors and manages the SCGSR program. WDTS manages the program in collaboration with the Office of Science’s six research program offices, the DOE Isotope R&D and Production office, and the DOE’s National Laboratories and User Facilities.

More information on the SCGSR program can be found by visiting the SCGSR program website or by emailing the SCGSR team.