Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Institution of Washington (Carnegie Science) in 1902 as an organization for scientific discovery. His intention was for the institution to be home to exceptional individuals—men and women with imagination and extraordinary dedication capable of working at the cutting edge of their fields. Carnegie scientists have worked in six scientific departments on the West and East Coasts. The Earth and Planets Laboratory is a department of Carnegie Science dedicated to understanding the Earth and its place in the universe.
The Earth and Planets Laboratory is located on Carnegie Science’s Broad Branch Road campus in Northwest Washington, DC. Over the past century, our researchers have made scientific contributions to everything from evidence of the existence of dark matter to the development of Pyrex glass.
In 2020, we merged the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism (est.1904) and the Geophysical Lab (est.1905) to create a new multidisciplinary department. By joining our more than a century of cutting-edge science, our researchers are better suited than ever to collaborate, discover, and innovate.
