DOE
Capabilities

22 Areas of
PNNL Excellence

Carl Imhoff showcases PNNL's talent in Systems Engineering and Integration, one of the Lab's DOE-recognized core capabilities, to Secretary Granholm during a virtual tour of PNNL in 2021.

(Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, PNNL is the steward of 22 designated DOE core science and technology capabilities. Collectively, these core capabilities define PNNL’s recognized portfolio of expertise. The Office of Science uses three criteria to define the core capabilities resident at each of its 10 national laboratories. A laboratory is designated as possessing a core capability in those areas in which it (1) encompasses a substantial combination of facilities and/or teams of people and/or equipment; (2) has unique and/or world-leading programmatic elements; and (3) its research program and related capabilities are directly applicable to the missions of the DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security.

PNNL’s core capability areas are the foundation of its research performance and provide flexibility and agility in its ability to anticipate and respond to emerging needs and opportunities. This array of missions and wide assortment of distinctive capabilities distinguish PNNL and make it unique within the national laboratory system. For PNNL’s full scope of work, visit the scientific discovery, sustainable energy, and national security mission pages.

Circular diagram divided into 5 equal pie slices for PNNL's 5 capability areas as listed on this page

Chemical and Material Sciences

  • Applied Materials Science and Engineering

  • Nuclear/Radiochemistry, Isotope Science and Engineering

  • Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, and Plasma/Fusion Sciences

  • Chemical and Molecular Science

Engineering

  • Nuclear Engineering

  • Chemical Engineering

  • Mechanical Design and Engineering

  • Systems Engineering and Integration

  • Power Systems, Electrical Engineering, and Micro Electronics

Biological and Earth Sciences

  • Biological and Bioprocess Engineering

  • Biological Systems Science

  • Earth/Energy Systems, Infrastructure Analysis and Engineering

  • Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Science

Computational and Mathematical Sciences

  • Advanced Computer Science, Visualization, and Data

  • Computational Science

  • Applied Mathematics

  • Cyber and Information Sciences

  • Decision Science and Analysis

DOE User Facilities and Advanced Instrumentation