The annual Department of Energy evaluation shows Fermilab’s leadership and safety grades rose from C+ to B in 2025, yet finance‑system gaps and transformer shortages caused concern. Argonne posted strong marks and earned a $6 million fee despite lower publication output and an accelerator shutdown.

Each year, the Office of Science at the Department of Energy evaluates the performance of the organizations that run its national laboratories. Despite some grades improving in the past fiscal year for local labs, records show scores dropping in some key areas.

Norbert Holtkamp, a veteran of international research, takes over leadership of the particle physics laboratory in suburban Batavia in 2026. The decision was announced by the Fermi Forward Discovery Group, the lab’s new management and operations contractor.

Employees at Fermilab in Batavia and Argonne in Lemont were recently offered voluntary separation packages. The move comes as the Department of Energy recommends funding for the local national labs be reduced by almost $240 million for the next fiscal year, and focuses on new research priorities.

Roger Snyder, who worked at the Department of Energy for decades, will leave the Fermi Site Office in May, WTTW News has confirmed. The site manager works closely with the director of the national lab as part of the federal government.

Fermilab received near-failing federal grades in its annual report card following a tumultuous year of budget mismanagement, safety concerns and leadership turnover. Whistleblower reports highlighted serious problems at the premier physics facility before its management contractor took over in January.

Lia Merminga has been the director of Fermilab in suburban Batavia since 2022. FermiForward Discovery Group, the lab’s new management and operations contractor, said in a message to staff it was immediately launching a search for its new director.

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced the layoffs of about 2.5% of its workforce in an internal message. The laboratory's director acknowledged the difficult impact of the decision, stating that change is necessary to position Fermilab for the future, despite some employees saying they were assured all jobs were safe earlier this year.

The Fermi Forward Discovery Group will replace the Fermi Research Alliance early next year at the accelerator and detector laboratory in suburban Batavia. The announcement comes following criticism about safety and financial stewardship by the particle physics lab.

The release attributed to anonymous employees comes at a critical juncture for the Department of Energy, which is currently exploring options for new lab management. The lab will have limited operations for a short time due to budget issues starting this month.

The national laboratory in Batavia chopped the duration of its previously announced closure nearly in half, and said some of its research projects will continue before it reopens to the public on Sept. 3.

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will shut down a significant part of its operations from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8, WTTW News has confirmed.

Preliminary results from two experiments suggest something could be wrong with the basic way physicists think the universe works, a prospect that has the field of particle physics both baffled and thrilled. 

Quantum technology is expected to transform our world, and Chicago appears to be at the center of this quantum acceleration, thanks to funding from the Department of Energy to establish two quantum research centers locally.

Dan Hooper spends his time contemplating the biggest mystery of all: how the universe came to be. He joins us to discuss his book, “At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of our Universe’s First Seconds.”

The SpaceX founder aims to create a fleet of reusable rockets that will make space travel dramatically cheaper and more accessible. But can he turn what has long been science fiction into science fact?