Open Letter: Farewell to Staff from the Outgoing Director of the DOE Office of Science

Dear colleagues, 

As I depart the Office of Science to return to my academic position, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the amazing things we’ve done together over the past two years. 

My time at the Office of Science has been incredible, and that is thanks to this team. Regardless of your particular job function, you are each part of the team that constantly expands the frontiers of science. Together, our work has made possible incredible discoveries and innovations and continues to inspire generations of young people to pursue rewarding STEM careers.

In short, you are changing the course of history. 

I had the pleasure of attending a talk from Dr. Thomas Mason yesterday, in which he weaved together many threads of history to show how science and innovation are at the core of what has made our nation the world’s envy for nearly a century. It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to be part of the modern extension of that legacy, serving in this role as a champion for science. I am proud to be part of the effort to leverage the unmatched capabilities of our Department of Energy complex for the biggest challenges of our time – harnessing high performance computing and AI, combatting climate change, and closing the science and technology gaps that will allow us to reach the next generation of technologies. 

There’s no way I could touch on everything worth mentioning from the past two years, but I’d like to highlight at least a few. We have welcomed the exascale era of computing and ushered in a new age of artificial intelligence. We have changed the way we do climate science in a community-centered, integrated way and expanded exascale-enabled climate modeling to address one of the most urgent crises of our lifetimes. We are transforming the way we study ultra-small and ultra-fast processes with the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. We are meeting the challenges of a new era for fusion energy innovation, while staying laser-focused on the remaining science and technology gaps, no matter the hype. We’re unlocking the most fundamental mysteries of the universe from neutrinos to quarks and gluons to the rarest of heavy elements. And we’re meeting critical national needs for isotopes that save lives and underlie emerging technologies.