Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

About Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) operates as a government research laboratory. It conducts fundamental and applied research for the U.S. Department of Energy, government agencies, universities, and industry sponsors focused on homeland security, energy generation, hydrogen and biomass-based fuels, and the environment. PNNL’s interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers address many of America’s most pressing challenges in energy, the environment, and national security through advances in basic and applied sciences. It is acknowledged to have 10 core capabilities, including chemical and molecular sciences; chemical engineering; biological systems science; climate change science; environmental subsurface science; applied materials science and engineering; applied nuclear science and technology; advanced computer science, visualization, and data; systems engineering and integration; and large-scale user facilities and advanced instrumentation. PNNL’s scientific mission is to strengthen the U.S. scientific foundations for innovation; increase the U.S. energy capacity and reduce dependence on imported oil; prevent and counter terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and reduce the environmental effects of human activities and create sustainable systems. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was founded in 1965 and is based in Richland, Washington with additional offices in Washington, District of Columbia; Seattle and Sequim, Washington; and Portland and Corvallis, Oregon.