DOE Consolidates Office of Science Advisory Committees
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The Department of Energy has replaced the six discipline-specific advisory committees that advise the Office of Science with a single “Office of Science Advisory Committee.”
The creation of the new committee was announced on Sept. 30, just a few weeks after former National Science Board Chair Darío Gil was confirmed as under secretary of science at the Department of Energy.
The six terminated committees are:
- High Energy Physics Advisory Panel
Established in 1967. Known for overseeing the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) that produces a decadal roadmap for particle physics priorities. The latest P5 report was published in 2023. - Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
Established in 1991. Reviewed the state of U.S. fusion facilities in a 2024 report and published a 10-year strategic plan for fusion energy and plasma physics in 2020. - DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
Established in 1977 and jointly commissioned by NSF and DOE. Produced long-range plans for the field of nuclear science every 5-7 years, publishing its last long-range plan in 2023. - Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee
Established in 1983. Completed a project assessment for biological and environmental research in 2024, recommending the construction of several facilities. - Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
Established in 1986. Regularly reviewed potential facility upgrades and construction projects. Published a report on DOE’s Nanoscale Science Research Centers in 2024. - Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee
Established in 1999. Charged with identifying potential facility upgrades every ten years, among other evaluations. Published a report evaluating five existing advanced computing facilities in 2024 and a review of the DOE Computational Sciences Graduate Fellowship in early 2025.
In an online statement, Gil said the new committee will “connect DOE with leaders from academia, industry, and National Laboratories and will inform exciting new paths to keep us at the forefront of research.” Gil added that the committee will “allow the Office of Science to adapt to the changing scientific landscape and will address cross-cutting, cross-disciplinary research in a streamlined and flexible way.”
The new committee will “adopt the core functions” of the six former advisory committees along with “any current charged responsibilities of these former committees.”
The statement says Gil will appoint members of the new committee, who will be experts in “all aspects of Office of Science research,” according to the department’s announcement. A DOE spokesperson told FYI that the department is accepting nominations via email.
The committee plans to hold its first meeting within the next six months.
The decision to consolidate the six committees comes after President Donald Trump called in February for agency and department heads to review and eliminate unnecessary non-statutory advisory committees — a move that prompted several science agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation, to eliminate or significantly reduce their advisory committees.
The six DOE advisory committees were officially terminated in early August, according to the General Services Administration’s Federal Advisory Committee Act database.
