Fermilab is America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory.

What are we made of? How did the universe begin? What secrets do the smallest, most elemental particles of matter hold, and how can they help us understand the intricacies of space and time?

Since 1967, Fermilab has worked to answer these and other fundamental questions and enhance our understanding of everything we see around us. As the United States’ premier particle physics laboratory, we do science that matters. We work on the world’s most advanced particle accelerators and dig down to the smallest building blocks of matter. We also probe the farthest reaches of the universe, seeking out the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Fermilab’s 2,070 employees include scientists and engineers from all around the world. Fermilab collaborates with more than 50 countries on physics experiments based in the United States and elsewhere.

Fermilab’s 6,800-acre site is located in Batavia, Illinois, and is managed by Fermi Forward Discovery Group for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. FermiForward is a partnership of the University of Chicago and Universities Research Association, and includes integrated subcontractors, Amentum and Longenecker & Associates.

Fermilab’s vision and mission

Fermilab is America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory.

Our vision is to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time for the benefit of all. We strive to:

• lead the world in neutrino science with particle accelerators
• lead the nation in the development of particle colliders and their use for scientific discovery
• advance particle physics through measurements of the cosmos

Our mission is to drive discovery by:

• building and operating world-leading accelerator and detector facilities
• performing pioneering research with national and global partners
• developing new technologies for science that support U.S. industrial competitiveness

Early Career Programs:

Student and Internship Programs

We have a variety of intern programs for graduate students, undergraduates, high school students and secondary school teachers. Interns have an opportunity to work on projects that support particle physics experiments in applied physics, engineering and computing.

Our Cooperative Education Program (Co-op Program) provides the opportunity to be integrally involved in the development and operation of the laboratory for individual exploration and project work. It supports a theory-practice model of learning in which students apply what they are learning as undergraduates at their home institutions to projects vital to our lab’s scientific mission.

Read more about the intern programs

Postdoctoral Program

The postdoctoral program offers the opportunity for candidates to perform research in a scientifically rich R&D environment; presents and publish research; contributes to the overall research efforts at the laboratory; advances knowledge in the areas of basic and applied research; strengthens our national scientific and technical capabilities. We perform world-class research in experimental and theoretical particle physics.