Directorates

The Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) plays a pivotal role in securing America’s energy future. Our researchers deliver breakthroughs in energy from generation to distribution and storage to end use in support of Department of Energy missions.

ESTD offers a unique culture of entrepreneurship for translating science into solutions for the most critical problems facing the country at the nexus of energy and security.

The Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate (FFESD) addresses compelling challenges in fission and fusion energy systems, enabling ORNL to pursue national priorities in fusion energy and current and advanced nuclear research, development, and deployment.

The directorate’s unique facilities, capabilities, and talented scientists and engineers are currently tackling such challenges as extended operations of the current U.S. nuclear reactor fleet; investigating economical and flexible advanced reactor systems; and making fusion energy a viable power source.

Isotopes are essential to American medicine, national security, energy, and scientific discovery. From cancer‑fighting treatments to nuclear forensics and advanced manufacturing, isotopes enable real‑world solutions that protect lives and strengthen U.S. leadership.

ORNL is the nation’s leading center for isotope research, production, and enrichment. With unique facilities, unmatched expertise, and decades of innovation, ORNL secures the domestic isotope supply chain and advances global leadership in isotope science.

The Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD) delivers scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs that will help realize solutions in energy and national security and provide economic benefit to the nation.

Our portfolio includes materials science and engineering, chemistry, geoscience, nanoscience, soft matter science, analytical chemistry, and nuclear and particle physics applied to a broad range of scientific and technical challenges.

From emerging technologies and cyber-physical attacks to nuclear proliferation and supply chain vulnerabilities, the threats to America’s national security continue to evolve at a rapid pace. 

We face these challenges head on, capitalizing on ORNL’s unique scientific assets to deliver real-world solutions that protect the people, infrastructure, and economy of the United States.

Breakthroughs in medicine, energy, technology, and industry follow advances in the understanding of materials. ORNL is at the U.S. epicenter for one of the most powerful techniques exploring the nature of materials and energy—neutron scattering.

ORNL hosts two of the world’s most powerful sources of neutrons for research: the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Neutrons have no electrical charge, which allows them to easily and safely pass through a sample, revealing information about the material’s structure and properties.

The Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate (CCSD) oversees ORNL’s immense store of computing power and its talented staff of computational scientists and mathematicians, conducting state-of-the-art research and development in support of DOE’s missions and programs.

The directorate houses the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), home to the world’s most powerful supercomputer for open science, Frontier.