American Energy Leadership: LSU Signs Research Agreements with Argonne, Oak Ridge National Laboratories

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two research partnership agreements signed by LSU and national laboratory leaders in Washington, D.C., are positioned to ensure America’s worldwide competitiveness and energy dominance. The agreements with Argonne National Laboratory (based in Lemont, Ill.) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (based in Oak Ridge, Tenn.) enable joint efforts on a state and national level to advance research, technology development and new solutions for energy, chemicals and critical materials manufacturing.

For the national laboratories, LSU serves as a critical bridge between research aligned with national energy priorities and the direct application of research outcomes on the Gulf Coast by leading energy and chemicals industries in Louisiana and beyond. Joint research efforts between LSU and the national labs include collaborative projects on nuclear energy, chemical manufacturing, electrical grid deployment, new separation methods for critical minerals, maritime transport and the security of cyber-physical industrial systems.  

Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are two of only 17 national laboratories under the U.S. Department of Energy. The labs, which include world-class research facilities, are home to thousands of top-notch scientists and engineers. Their missions align with LSU’s solutions-driven research priorities to secure America’s energy future, ensure reliable and affordable energy, and protect the nation against emerging threats, including an emphasis on cyber. 

A defining feature of the partnership between LSU and Argonne National Laboratory is a robust faculty, student, staff and postdoctoral exchange program, through which LSU team members will gain hands-on training at Argonne while Argonne staff scientists will engage directly with LSU, including at statewide research sites and test beds and with LSU’s energy industry partners.

“This agreement further strengthens our longstanding collaboration with LSU to solve key national challenges,” said Paul Kearns, director of Argonne National Laboratory. “By connecting our ambitious research objectives and complementary capabilities, we aim to accelerate innovation that strengthens U.S. economic competitiveness. Our partnership will address critical needs, from securing materials supply chains to advancing energy and chemical technologies that can be deployed at scale.”

“Oak Ridge National Laboratory is excited to partner with LSU to harness our combined expertise in advanced energy generation, industrial innovation, and workforce development,” said Stephen Streiffer, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “This partnership will help foster the next generation of innovators, ensuring our nation remains a global energy and industry leader. Together, we will accelerate scientific breakthroughs that strengthen energy security and underpin economic growth.”

Expanding collaboration with the national laboratories demonstrates LSU’s growing value to Louisiana and the nation. Louisiana’s strong presence in energy, petrochemicals, minerals refining, offshore operations and access to waterways—coupled with LSU’s expertise and capacity for industry impact—creates a springboard for innovation.

 “As an energy technology proving ground and longtime energy industry partner, LSU will help solve the nation’s energy challenges where they should be solved first—in Louisiana—to ensure American energy dominance and competitiveness on a global scale,” LSU President Wade Rousse said.

The new research agreements with Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory follow an established memorandum of understanding signed in March 2025 between LSU and Idaho National Laboratory. That agreement supports collaborative work in advanced nuclear energy, integrated energy systems and cybersecurity.

“These agreements place LSU at the center of the nation’s energy and national security priorities,” LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said. “By partnering with national laboratories, we are linking world-class science to real-world deployment, moving innovation out of the lab and into practice to strengthen U.S. competitiveness and deliver results for Louisiana and the nation.”

Last summer, LSU became the first university in the nation to partner with Idaho National Laboratory, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate on a unique model for cybersecurity training and research to defend industrial control systems. As part of this model, Idaho National Laboratory researchers built a test bed—the first of its kind on a university campus—known as the Tiger Skid, which is now in operation on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge.

“LSU will continue to solve industry challenges in relevant, scalable, and proven ways,” LSU Vice President of Research & Economic Development Robert Twilley said. “LSU is already home to one of only two university-operated synchrotrons for energy research in the nation, and six on-campus research wells. In partnering with the national labs, LSU offers full-scale test beds where the nation's foremost research talent can innovate, optimize, and demonstrate new solutions to secure America’s energy future.”