With a staff of about 180 and an annual budget of about $50 million, the Energy Sciences and Photon Directorate is responsible for overseeing research in chemistry, condensed matter physics, materials science and nanoscience. Nanoscience, the study of materials at ultra-small dimensions, will expand at Brookhaven's Center for Functional Nanomaterials, a state-of-the-art facility that began preliminary operations in 2007.

Misewich has made significant contributions in several fields, including optics, nanomaterials, ultrafast studies, and surface science. As Chair of Brookhaven's Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Misewich developed new research programs focusing on the synthesis of high-quality materials and new materials, the high-precision characterization of the physical properties of these materials, and the theoretical understanding of them.

Jim Misewich earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1984 in physical chemistry, with a focus on surface science. He then joined the laser physics group at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY. In 2002, he came to Brookhaven as Chair of the Materials Science Department and later became Chair of the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department. In June 2007, he became Interim Associate Laboratory Director, a position he held until his current appointment. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America.