About Us
The Fundamental & Computational Sciences at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) features world-leading research programs and capabilities in the biological, chemical, environmental, and computational and materials sciences.
Directorate researchers lead major R&D efforts in environmental microbiology and biogeochemistry, proteomics, experimental and theoretical interfacial chemistry, chemical analysis, climate physics and global/regional scale modeling, and integrated assessment for energy and environment. We are building new programs in systems biology and biotechnology, interfacial catalysis, multifunctional materials, aerosol science, and extreme scale simulations.
Our researchers are members of interdisciplinary teams that cut across all missions of the Department of Energy. The Fundamental and Computational Sciences is PNNL's primary steward for research supported by DOE's Offices of Biological and Environmental Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Fusion Energy Sciences and Nuclear Physics—all within the DOE Office of Science. Additionally, we perform research and development for private industry and for other government agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, and NASA. We strive to make progress in efficiently interconverting electrical energy and chemical energy. » Read More. Additionally we focus on understanding the role of aerosols and clouds on climate system dynamics, developing principles and models of material synthesis, and understanding how the environment influences the behavior of microbial communities. Together with our partners we are also making great strides in chemical imaging, the science of computing, weak interaction physics and the predictive understanding of biological systems. Research at PNNL is commonly performed by interdisciplinary teams developing and using cutting-edge instrumentation.
Doug Ray, Ph.D.
Associate Laboratory Director,
Fundamental & Computational Sciences