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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science

About Us

The DOE Office of Science is the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences.

FY 2019 appropriations $6.6 billion - research, facility operation, facility construction and major instrumentation, all other

 

Cutting-edge Scientific Research

magnetic flux lines Magnetic flux lines of nickel nanodots

The Office of Science supports 25,000 researchers—including Ph.D. scientists,engineers, graduate students, undergraduates, and technical and support personnel—through competitive awards each year at DOE laboratories and more than 300 universities and institutions of higher learning in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.Overall, the DOE provides 40% of federal funding for research in the physical sciences:

chart showing research allocation

Federal obligations for research in physical sciences - NSF Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development Fiscal Years 2016-17

In the Forefront of Discovery

Office of Science-supported researchers probe the frontiers of physics, chemistry, materials science, and systems biology, unraveling mysteries ranging from neutrinos and dark energy to the behavior of matter at the nanoscale. This research has yielded over 100 Nobel prizes during the past six decades, including more than 20 Laureates in the past 10 years.

Science Shaping Our Energy Future

The Office of Science is the lead Federal agency supporting scientific research for energy. Office of Science-supported researchers have made key scientific advances related to solar energy, bioenergy, solid state lighting, and batteries, among many other areas of energy, and continue to press forward with science in the quest to achieve a secure and sustainable energy future.

Steward of Ten World-class Federal Laboratories

The Office of Science is the steward of 10 of the 17 DOE laboratories. The DOE laboratories comprise a preeminent federal research system, developing unique, often multidisciplinary, scientific capabilities beyond the scope of academic and industrial institutions, to benefit the Nation’s researchers and national strategic priorities.

A Culture of Project Management

National Synchotron Light Source II National Synchrotron Light Source II

Over the past ten years, the Office of Science has completed 40 projects each of total cost greater than $10 million. 92% of these projects were delivered on time and on budget with cumulative cost growth across all projects held below 1.3%.

National Scientific User Facilities

Lineac Coherent light source Linac Coherent Light Source

The Office of Science provides the world’s largest array of scientific user facilities—including supercomputers,large-scale x-ray light sources, neutron scattering sources, and sophisticated facilities for nanoscience and genomic sequencing—serving more than 34,000 researchers from universities, government laboratories, and industry each year.

The Office of Science User Facilities are key to U.S. leadership in research and have enabled U.S. industry to achieve breakthroughs in areas ranging from drug discovery to the design of vehicles,aircraft, and jet engines. Over fifty Fortune 500 companies and dozens of small businesses use the facilities each year.

Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility

Contact Office Of Science

Address U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
Phone Tel(202) 586-5430
Email Send us a message
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