User Facilities

Researchers at NIST—including five Nobel Prize winners—have been at the forefront of science in the nation’s premier measurement institute for more than 120 years. Their groundbreaking research happens in user facilities (listed below) and labs.

The directors of our labs report to NIST’s Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP). Additionally, the ADLP also manages our user facilities and several other offices that:

• administer grants,
• forge partnerships,
• coordinate standards and
• ensure our research follows all ethical principles. 

NIST Center for Neutron Research

Credit: Yiming Qiu

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is a national user facility that provides cold and thermal neutron measurement capabilities to researchers from academia, industry and other government agencies. Learn more about the NCNR.

• Call for Proposals
• Live Data
• Instrumentation

Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology

Credit: B. Hayes/NIST

The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), which is part of the Physical Measurement Laboratory, supports the U.S. nanotechnology enterprise from discovery to production by providing industry, academia, NIST and other government agencies with access to world-class nanoscale measurement and fabrication methods and technology. Learn more about the CNST.