Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT–Battelle,[8] a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and the Battelle Memorial Institute, formed in 2000 for that purpose.

[18] During World War II, advanced research for the government was managed at the site by the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory.

[22] ORNL scientists also performed the world's first successful bone marrow transplant in mice by suppressing their immune systems.

[22] The US Army also contracted the design of portable nuclear reactors in 1953 for heat and electricity generation in remote military bases.

[22][23] In the early 1960s there was a large push at ORNL to develop nuclear-powered desalination plants, where deserts met the sea, to provide water.

The project, called Water for Peace, was backed by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson and was presented at a 1964 United Nations conference, but increases in the cost of construction and falling public confidence in nuclear power caused the plan to be shuttered.

[22] Researchers in the biology division studied the effects of chemicals on mice, including petrol fumes, pesticides, and tobacco.

[22] Also in 1972, Peter Mazur, a biologist at ORNL, froze with liquid nitrogen, thawed and implanted mouse embryos in a surrogate mother.

[22] The technique is popular in the livestock industry, as it allows the embryos of valuable cattle to be transported easily and a prize cow can have multiple eggs extracted and thus, through in vitro fertilisation, have many more offspring than would naturally be possible.

An accelerated climate simulation chamber was built that applied varying weather conditions to insulation to test its efficacy and durability faster than real time.

[22] In 1987 the High Temperature Materials Laboratory was established, where ORNL and industry researchers cooperated on ceramic and alloy projects.

The materials research budget at ORNL doubled after initial uncertainty regarding Reagan's economic policy of less government expenditure.

At the time, Holifield had the widest range of ion species and was twice as powerful as other accelerators, attracting hundreds of guest researchers each year.

Burial trenches and leaking pipes had contaminated the groundwater beneath the lab, and radiation tanks were sitting idle, full of waste.

[22] In 1989 the former executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Alvin Trivelpiece, became director of ORNL; he remained in the role until 2000.

However, Varnadore's case saw prime contractor Martin Marietta cited for safety violations and ultimately led to additional whistleblower protection within DOE.

The laboratory has a long history of energy research; nuclear reactor experiments have been conducted since the end of World War II in 1945.

[31][32] The programs develop more efficient materials, more accurate simulations of aging reactor cores, sensors and controls as well as safety procedures for regulatory authorities.

[32] The Energy Efficiency and Electricity Technologies Program aims to improve air quality in the US and reduce dependence on foreign oil supplies.

Buildings, which account for 39% of US electricity consumption as of 2012, are a key area of research as the program aims to create affordable, carbon-neutral homes.

[34] Research also takes place into higher efficiency solar panels, geothermal electricity and heating, lower cost wind generators, and the economic and environmental feasibility of potential hydro power plants.

The center hosts projects that examine cell walls for biofuel production,[50] use neutron scattering to analyse protein folding, and simulate the effect of catalysis on a conventional and quantum scale.

The Department of Energy works closely with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency out of ORNL to monitor forest ecology for the surrounding Appalachians & Cumberland Plateau Domain of NEON.

[61] There is a high-temperature materials lab at ORNL that permits researchers from universities, private companies and other government initiatives to use their facilities.

As is the case for all designated user facilities, the resources of the High Temperature Materials Laboratory are available for free if the results are published; private research is permitted but requires payment.

The center emphasises discovery of new materials and the understanding of underlying physical and chemical interactions that enable creation of nanomaterials.

The Global Security and Nonproliferation (GS&N) program develops and implements policies, both US based and international, to prevent the proliferation of nuclear material.

[65] The GS&N's work overlaps with that of the Homeland Security Programs Office, providing detection of nuclear material and nonproliferation guidelines.

Other areas concerning the Department Homeland Security include nuclear and radiological forensics, chemical and biological agent detection using mass spectrometry, and simulations of potential national hazards.