University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

UW, PNNL to Host Energy Research Center Focusing on Bio-inspired Design and Assembly

The United States Department of Energy has awarded an expected $10.75 million, four-year grant to the University of Washington, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other partner institutions for a new interdisciplinary research center to define the enigmatic rules that govern how molecular-scale building blocks assemble into ordered structures — and give rise to complex hierarchical materials.

For UW Physicists, the 2-D Form of Tungsten Ditelluride is Full of Surprises

In a paper published online July 23 in the journal Nature, a UW-led research team reports that the 2-D form of tungsten ditelluride can undergo “ferroelectric switching.”

Researchers Make First-Ever 6D Measurement of Accelerator Beam

A team of researchers led by UT physics professor Sarah Cousineau has made the first-ever 6D measurement of an accelerator beam, an achievement that has eluded scientists for decades.

NMSU Physicist Among Researchers That May Have Evidence of the Elusive Sterile Neutrino

A New Mexico State University professor is part of an international research team that recently released the results of an experiment that may support a theory for a fourth fundamental particle – the mysterious sterile neutrino that passes through matter without interacting with it.

Kansas State University Graduate Student Awarded Department of Energy Fellowship

Olivia Hull, a doctoral student in Christine Aiken's research group at Kansas State University, has been awarded a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship to support her research into physical chemistry.

Astronomer Alexie Leauthaud Wins DOE Early Career Award

Alexie Leauthaud, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, is among 84 scientists selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) to receive funding through DOE's Early Career Research Program. The award provides $750,000 over five years to support Leauthaud's research on dark energy.

Methane-Producing Microbial Communities Found in Fracking Wells

New research has uncovered the genetic details of microbes found in fracking wells. Not only do a wide array of bacteria and viruses thrive in these crevices created by hydraulic fracturing – they also have the power to produce methane, according to a study led by scientists at The Ohio State University.

UCLA-led Center Receives $9.75 Million to Improve Rechargeable Batteries

An energy research center led by UCLA has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of its Energy Frontier Research Centers and awarded a four-year grant of $9.75 million.

Keeping up with Lipids on the Move: A New Molecular Tracking Method

Scientists at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory have created a new tracking method for plant lipids. The approach could fill our knowledge gaps of lipid movement and help us improve yields in crops targeted for biofuels.

Electric Car Batteries Souped-up with Fluorinated Electrolytes for Longer-range Driving

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD), the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have figured out how to increase a rechargeable battery's capacity by using aggressive electrodes and then stabilizing these potentially dangerous electrode materials with a highly-fluorinated electrolyte.

In Search of Dark Matter

Researchers, including a UC Riverside particle physicist, interpret new experimental data aimed at showing dark matter interacts with ordinary matter — an unmet challenge in modern physics.

Read more about In Search of Dark Matter

Natural Mechanism Could Lower Emissions From Tropical Peatlands

Scientists have long feared that as Earth warms, tropical peatlands -- which store up to 10 percent of the planet’s soil carbon -- could dry out, decay and release vast pools of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, rapidly accelerating climate change. A new international study headed by researchers at Florida State University and Duke University, reveals the outlook may not be as bleak.