DOE Reorganizes Office of Science

Multiple offices under the Department of Energy’s Office of Science have been rebranded in a new organizational chart released by the agency this week, with some offices merging, moving, or appearing to disappear altogether.

One of the biggest changes is the combination of the previously separate offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics into one High Energy and Nuclear Physics office.

DOE has shared few details publicly about the reshuffle, which comes a few months after the agency announced broader organizational changes. The new Office of Science organizational chart was shared in an emailed update from Deputy Director for Science Programs Harriet Kung and Deputy Director for Operations Juston Fontaine. The email said the realignment is being initiated now, but that “it will be a few months before it will take effect.”

A DOE spokesperson said the changes will ensure the Office of Science is “best positioned to meet its goals.” The spokesperson added that “this realignment strengthens America’s scientific leadership, supports next-generation innovation, and ensures responsible stewardship of department resources as DOE advances technologies essential to our economic and national security.”

High Energy and Nuclear Physics combined

The Office of High Energy Physics and the Office of Nuclear Physics have been distinct entities under the Office of Science since the early 2000s, and the two disciplines have had separate budget requests to Congress since the late 1970s. Though the offices have overlapping scientific interests, each has a distinct mission and culture that may be challenging to combine.

It remains unclear who will lead the new joint office and how the management of its budget will be handled. The Office of High Energy Physics is currently led by Director Regina Remeika, and the Office of Nuclear Physics by acting Director Linda Horton. DOE did not address a request for comment on who would lead the new joint office in its response.

It is also unclear how the merger will affect the fields’ representation on DOE’s newly established science advisory committee in the long-term. The new committee, which replaced the six former committees advising the Office of Science, will hold a meeting which is open to the public on March 27. The tentative agenda includes updates from the Office of Science and Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil.

Streamlined offices

Multiple offices under the deputy director for science programs and the deputy director for operations that were present in the previous chart are no longer listed.

Under the science portfolio, offices that are no longer listed include: the Office of SBIR/STTR Programs; the Office of Sponsored Activities; and the Office of International Activities, Research Security, and Interagency Coordination. Two of three workforce-related offices have also disappeared, leaving only the Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists office.

Under the operations portfolio, the site offices for the ten national labs the Office of Science oversees appear unchanged, but 11 other offices have been condensed into five: Isotope R&D and Production; Laboratory Stewardship and Performance; Acquisition Management; Finance and Resource Management; and Information Management.

No ARDAP office

A standalone Accelerator R&D and Production (ARDAP) office was created in 2020, but has not been included in recent organizational charts, including the one released this week, despite still being described as one of seven program offices on the DOE Office of Science website. Historically, accelerator programs have been managed by the Office of High Energy Physics.

Questions surrounding the new Office of Fusion

The Fusion Energy Sciences office remains on the new chart, despite some speculation that the office may be folded into DOE’s newly created Office of Fusion. A bipartisan bill to codify the Office of Fusion, introduced in December, recommends consolidating the fusion offices and transferring all programs managed by FES to the Office of Fusion. It is unclear if any programs have been moved from FES to the new fusion office. DOE did not respond to a request for comment on whether any programs managed by FES would be moving to the Office of Fusion.