The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award is bestowed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to mid-career scientists and engineers in recognition of exceptional scientific, technical, and engineering achievements related to the broad missions of DOE and its programs. The Lawrence Award, established in 1959 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Atomic Energy Commission, honors Ernest O. Lawrence, the 1939 Nobel Laureate in physics who helped establish the DOE laboratory system.
The objectives of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award are to encourage excellence in energy science and technology; to inspire people to dedicate their lives and talents to scientific and technological effort, through the examples of Ernest O. Lawrence and the Lawrence Award laureates; and to highlight the accomplishments of the U.S. scientific and technological communities associated with DOE.
Lawrence Award Laureates receive a citation signed by the Secretary of Energy, a gold-plated medal bearing the likeness of Ernest O. Lawrence, and a $20,000 honorarium.
Nomination Deadline: May 9, 2024
Nominations are solicited in each of the following nine categories, representing the broad research missions of DOE and its programs:
- Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences
- Biological and Environmental Sciences
- Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences
- Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences
- Energy Science and Innovation
- Fusion and Plasma Sciences
- High Energy Physics
- National Security and Nonproliferation
- Nuclear Physics
To be eligible, nominees must:
- Be in the middle of their careers, defined as within 20 years of earning their highest degree. For the present competition, nominees must have had their highest earned degree conferred in calendar year 2004 or later to be eligible.
- Be citizens of the United States;
- Be recognized for achievement(s) in research principally funded by the DOE; and
- Be recognized primarily on the scientific impact and technical significance of their work relative to its discipline and/or related mission. (Business management and acumen, while valued, is not a significant factor used when evaluating a nominee’s worthiness.)