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EnglishWhat Are the Physical Sciences and Why Does the U.S. DOE Office of Science Support Them?
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The physical sciences are the branches of science that study non-living matter and energy—chiefly physics, chemistry, astronomy, and Earth science, along with cross-cutting fields like materials science and computational science. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science supports them because it describes itself as the Nation's largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences, funding fundamental work that underpins energy technologies, computing, and materials. This explanation covers what the physical sciences include, how they relate to other fields, and why DOE treats them as a core mission.
What counts as a physical science
The defining feature is the subject matter: non-living systems, the forces and particles that make them up, and the energy involved. That separates the physical sciences from the life sciences, which study living organisms, though the two overlap heavily at the molecular and atomic scale.
| Branch | What it studies | Example questions |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Matter, energy, forces, space, time | How do particles behave? What governs energy transfer? |
| Chemistry | Atoms, molecules, reactions, materials | How do substances combine and change? |
| Astronomy | Celestial objects and the universe | How do stars and galaxies form and evolve? |
| Earth science | The planet's structure, atmosphere, oceans | How do Earth systems change over time? |
Cross-cutting areas—materials science, nanoscience, and computational modeling—sit between these branches and often draw on several at once.
How the physical sciences relate to other fields
The boundaries are porous rather than sharp. Chemistry and physics meet biology in biochemistry and biophysics; Earth science overlaps with environmental and biological research; engineering applies physical-science findings to build devices and systems.
A useful way to think about it: the physical sciences supply the underlying rules and materials knowledge, while engineering and the life sciences apply or extend them. A new battery material, for instance, starts as a chemistry and physics question about how ions move through a solid, then becomes an engineering problem about manufacturing it at scale.
Why the DOE Office of Science supports physical sciences
The Office of Science frames its mission around supporting fundamental scientific research for energy, and it identifies itself as the Nation's largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. That role shows up in its program structure, which is organized around large research areas rather than around specific technologies:
- Basic Energy Sciences (BES) — foundational work on materials, chemistry, and energy-related science
- High Energy Physics (HEP) and Nuclear Physics (NP) — the structure of matter and the forces that govern it
- Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) — plasma and fusion science
- Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) — the computing and modeling tools that physical-science research depends on
- Biological and Environmental Research (BER) — where physical and life sciences intersect
The logic is that basic research in these areas produces the knowledge and tools that later enable energy technologies, advanced computing, and new materials. The Office of Science also runs workforce programs, including Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) efforts, to build the pipeline of people who do this work.
What this looks like in practice
The Office of Science's own promoted research stories illustrate the range of physical-science questions it funds:
- Using machine learning to help computer models simulate ocean waves more accurately in less time
- Studying how and where microbes die in soil, and how that influences residues, organic matter, and soil health
- Investigating how hops and jumps help lithium ions flow faster in a solid-state battery material, with superionic compounds as a possible route to faster, safer charging
- Developing an ultrafast sample replenishment system to make X-ray free electron lasers brighter
These examples show the pattern: a fundamental question about matter, energy, or a natural system, often with an eventual connection to energy or computing applications.
Where to go next
If you want to explore funding, programs, or announcements, the Office of Science site organizes them under its program areas (ASCR, BES, BER, FES, HEP, NP, and others) and publishes funding opportunities and special announcements, including early-career awards and fellowship programs. Start from the program that matches your discipline, or browse the funding opportunities listing for current calls.