Office of Science

Overview

The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that is primarily responsible for supporting scientific research in the United States. It is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, providing more than 40 percent of total funding in this area. It oversees and manages 10 national labs, which are among the most cutting-edge scientific research facilities in the world.

History

The Office of Science was established within the DOE in 1977, following the passage of the Department of Energy Organization Act. This legislation consolidated several energy-related agencies into a single department, including the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Federal Energy Administration. The Office of Science was created to manage the department's research activities, including those previously conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the Office of Science is to deliver scientific discoveries and major scientific tools that transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States. The Office of Science manages fundamental research programs in basic energy sciences, biological and environmental sciences, and computational science. In addition, it operates scientific facilities for the Nation’s researchers.

Organization

The Office of Science is led by the Under Secretary for Science and Energy, who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Under Secretary is assisted by six associate directors, who manage the office's various programs. These include the Basic Energy Sciences program, the Biological and Environmental Research program, the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, the Fusion Energy Sciences program, the High Energy Physics program, and the Nuclear Physics program.

Programs

The Office of Science manages several major programs, each of which supports a specific area of scientific research. These programs provide funding for research projects, operate national laboratories, and develop and maintain scientific research facilities.

Basic Energy Sciences

The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program supports research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels. This program also supports scientific facilities that are used by more than 11,000 researchers each year.

Biological and Environmental Research

The Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program supports research to explore the frontiers of genome-enabled biology, discover the physical, chemical and biological drivers and impacts of climate change, and seek the biological, geochemical and hydrological determinants of environmental sustainability and stewardship.

Advanced Scientific Computing Research

The Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program supports research in applied mathematics, computer science, and high-performance computing. The goal of this program is to enable scientists to analyze massive amounts of data and perform complex simulations.

Fusion Energy Sciences

The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program supports research to expand the fundamental understanding of matter at very high temperatures and densities and build the scientific foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source.

High Energy Physics

The High Energy Physics (HEP) program supports research to understand how our universe works at its most fundamental level. This program seeks to discover and understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy, the properties of neutrinos, the particles that make up the universe's dark matter, and the fundamental particles and forces of nature.

Nuclear Physics

The Nuclear Physics (NP) program supports research to understand the structure and interactions of atomic nuclei and the fundamental forces and particles of nature as they relate to nuclear matter.

National Laboratories

The Office of Science oversees 10 of the 17 DOE national laboratories. These laboratories are multi-disciplinary facilities that perform research in various areas of science and technology. The laboratories are managed by private-sector organizations under contract to the DOE.

Budget

The Office of Science is funded through the federal budget process. In fiscal year 2020, the Office of Science received approximately $7 billion in funding. This funding supports the office's various programs and the operation of the national laboratories.

Impact

The Office of Science has had a significant impact on scientific research in the United States. It has supported the work of numerous Nobel laureates and has led to many groundbreaking discoveries in physics, chemistry, biology, and other fields. In addition, the office's support of scientific facilities has enabled thousands of researchers to conduct cutting-edge research.