Office of the Director
Welcome to the Ames Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory operated under contract by the Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU).
The Ames Laboratory is one of DOE’s ten Office of Science national laboratories and it is unique within the complex both in its close relationship with ISU and its focus on the science and engineering of novel materials. It has a proud history of significant and often critical achievements, starting with the development of an inexpensive processto purify, and the subsequent production of two million pounds of metallic uranium used in the Manhattan Project.
Today, about 400 researchers and nearly 200 support staff at the Laboratory represent a broad array of skills and capabilities spread across the fundamental sciences, mathematics, computation and engineering, allowing them to undertake projects that would be difficult or impossible to accomplish anywhere else. World-leading research in each area covered by the Lab is leveraged to higher value through extensive collaboration among its various research teams. The close interactions between our scientists and engineers, along with our unique ability to purify and process the most challenging materials, have produced breakthrough discoveries in magnetism, optics, biomaterials, environmental science and many other areas. We will continue to exploit these synergies and our links with ISU to develop new science, new materials and new processes in support of the DOE’s energy mission and to transfer our research successes to the marketplace all to the benefit of our primary supporter, the American taxpayer.
The Ames Laboratory is the Nation’s primary resource in the science and technology of rare earth materials, the processing of complex alloys, including single crystal growth, and the analysis of materials using a variety of techniques including solid state nuclear magnetic resonance.
Ames Laboratory researchers are committed to excellence in every aspect of our research and we place the highest value on safety in our labs, agility in responding to new challenges, and collaboration as a means of bringing the strongest research teams to bear on the most important problems. We prize innovation in linking fundamental science to real applications, and we are committed to the development of new generations of researchers to keep America competitive. Our people are the core of our success.
Please take some time to explore our Web site, or contact us directly, to learn more about how the Ames Laboratory is Creating Materials and Energy Solutions.
Alex King, Director
June 2011
