The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science today announced the selection of 75 PhD students from 58 universities, representing 30 home states and Puerto Rico, for the 2026 Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. 

The SCGSR program prepares doctoral candidates for careers that advance the Office of Science’s mission to transform our understanding of nature and strengthen America’s energy, economic, and national security. Participants receive world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities, expertise, and resources at DOE's National Laboratories. 

“The Office of Science is proud to support this outstanding cohort of graduate students as they take their research to the next level at our world-class National Laboratories,” said DOE Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil. “By connecting these talented researchers with premier scientific facilities and mentorship from leading Laboratory scientists, the SCGSR program not only enriches their doctoral training, but also bolsters the next generation of American innovators tackling our nation’s most pressing energy and scientific challenges.” 

Awardees were selected from a competitive pool of graduate applicants based on scientific merit reviews conducted by external experts.  

SCGSR awardees conduct research addressing critical energy challenges at national and international scales. Projects in this cohort span seven Office of Science research programs, including research in Super Intelligence, quantum information science, fusion energy, and accelerator science. Awards were made through the SCGSR program’s first of two annual solicitation cycles for Fiscal Year 2026.  

Graduate students currently pursuing PhD degrees in the fields of physics, chemistry, material sciences, biology (non-medical), geology, planetary sciences, mathematics, engineering, and computer or computational sciences and whose research aligns with the mission of the Office of Science are eligible to apply to the SCGSR program. Through access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities of DOE National Laboratories, awardees can advance their doctoral research and training.  

Find out more about applying for the next cycle at the SCGSR How to Apply | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC) (osti.gov) page.  

Since 2014, the SCGSR program has provided over 1,500 U.S. graduate awardees from 178 universities with supplemental funds to conduct part of their thesis research at DOE National Laboratories in collaboration with DOE National Laboratory scientists. 

A list of the 75 awardees for this selection, their institutions, host DOE Laboratory or User Facility, and priority research areas of their projects can be found on the SCGSR Awards and Publications page.