General Lab Information

A passion for discovery, a history of achievement

Brookhaven National Laboratory was established in 1947 on the eastern end of Long Island at the former site of the U.S. Army’s Camp Upton.

Originally built out of a post-World War II desire to explore the peaceful applications of atomic energy, the Laboratory now has a broader mission: to perform basic and applied research at the frontiers of science, including nuclear and high-energy physics; physics and chemistry of materials; nanoscience; energy and environmental research; national security and nonproliferation; neurosciences; structural biology; and computational sciences.

Over its history, Brookhaven Lab has housed three research reactors, numerous one-of-a-kind particle accelerators, and other cutting-edge research facilities responsible for discoveries leading to many advances for science and society as well as seven Nobel Prizes.

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Leading Facilities

Brookhaven was originally conceived to establish a national laboratory in the Northeastern United States to design, construct and operate large scientific machines that individual institutions could not afford to develop on their own. Throughout the years, Brookhaven’s scientists and visiting researchers have used these unique facilities to make discoveries in biology, physics, chemistry, geophysics, medicine, and materials science.
AcceleratorsReactors
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Scientific Discoveries

Since Brookhaven opened its doors, countless innovations and inventions by staff and visiting scientists have contributed to research in many fields. Discoveries made here have shaped our understanding of the atom and the universe, advanced medical imaging techniques, and created new technology and tools for studying microbiology, climate and pollutants, energy storage and more.
Explore Discoveries
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Camp Upton

The land presently occupied by the Brookhaven National Laboratory once served as the site of the U.S. Army's Camp Upton, active from 1917 until 1920, and again from 1940 until 1946. During both world wars, Camp Upton helped train new soldiers and prepare them for campaigns overseas. The Army was later to use the site as a convalescent and rehabilitation hospital for wounded veterans returning after World War II.
About Camp Upton

Did you know: In 1958 a Brookhaven scientist developed “Tennis for Two,” an electronic tennis game that is unquestionably a forerunner of the modern video game.