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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Fermilab Engages in Cross-Lab Entrepreneurial SPIN Program
Over 12 weeks in the SPIN program, staff members learned to think like entrepreneurs with the goal of increasing innovation at their labs.
Berkeley Lab Launches Research Projects to Support National Biopreparedness and Response Efforts
The projects are part of the BRaVE initiative, supporting national response capabilities that can be advanced with DOE’s distinctive capabilities.
Life in Boiling Water
ORNL scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity.
Post-COVID, Systems Need to Be Crisis-Ready for Better Public Health Response
The National Science Foundation funded Argonne and others to study the COVID-19 experiences of public health officials and stakeholders.

University and Stakeholder News

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Our Plastic Waste Can Be Used as Raw Material for Detergents, Thanks to an Improved Catalytic Method
The improved method can turn polyolefins into molecules that underlie surfactants, the active components of detergents and other useful chemicals.
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Brown-Led Research Provides Unprecedented Look at What Influences Sea Ice Motion in the Arctic
A new study offers fresh insights into the forces above & beneath the ocean surface that influence how sea ice moves and disperses in the Arctic Ocean
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CCNY Scientists Trap Light Inside a Magnet
A new study at The City College of New York shows that trapping light inside magnetic materials may dramatically enhance their intrinsic properties.
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Visualizing the Microscopic Phases of Magic-Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene
The new study captures behavior of interacting electrons that give rise to insulating states, addressing a key unsolved puzzle in the field.
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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, $7.5 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