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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Ian Ochs Wins Highly Competitive Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award
Ochs is a 2022 graduate of the Program in Plasma Physics in the Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences.
Researchers Advance Topological Superconductors for Quantum Computing
To tailor qubits for applications, researchers sought to create a new material system by coupling a superconductor with a topological insulator.
Fast-Track Strain Engineering for Speedy Biomanufacturing
The time and money required to engineer microbes to produce vital medicines and chemicals can be dramatically reduced with a new model-based method.
Urban Climate Research Project Helps Shape Minority Students' Science Identity
Students from across the Chicago region worked closely with Argonne scientists to tackle future urban climate challenges.

University and Stakeholder News

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Jenna Abrahamson Develops Remote Sensing Methods to Predict Flooding
This summer, Abrahamson is working remotely for the Pacific Northwest National Lab as a Ph.D. intern on its terrestrial and aquatic integration team.
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Robert Cava: Still Creating After All These Years
To fabricate a transmon qubit—a type of superconducting qubit used in quantum computers—researchers turned to niobium’s Periodic Table neighbor.
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Illinois Tech Engineer Spearheads Research Leading to Groundbreaking Green Propane Production Method
Researchers developed a method - an electrolyzer device – to convert carbon dioxide into propane in a way that is economically viable and scalable.
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Novel Quantum Speed Limits Tackle Messy Reality of Disorder
Researchers described novel methods for pulling insights from the mess created by disorder and identified new types of quantum speed limits that apply
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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