U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

On Oct. 1, 2024, the FDA began implementing a reorganization impacting many parts of the agency. We are in the process of updating FDA.gov content to reflect these changes.

  1. Home
  2. About FDA
  3. FDA Organization
  4. Center for Devices and Radiological Health
  5. CDRH Offices
  6. Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories
  1. CDRH Offices

Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories Also referred to as: OSEL


Update: June 26, 2024

The FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create new analytical methods to help the development of breath-based diagnostic devices for disease detection in medically underserved populations. Read the full CDRH Statement about the announcement.  

Photo of Ed Margerrison

Ed Margerrison, Ph.D
Director, Office of Science
and Engineering Laboratories

Who We Are

The Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL) is composed of scientists and engineers who have a broad diversity of expertise from microbiology to artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are all dedicated to promoting innovation for the development of new lifesaving medical devices.

We are organized into approximately 20 program areas, running about 150 research projects through our four main technical divisions: Applied Mechanics (DAM), Biomedical Physics (DBP), Biology Chemistry and Materials Science (DBCMS) and Imaging Diagnostics and Software Reliability (DIDSR).

Here’s a snapshot of the research being done within OSEL:

What We Do

We accelerate patient access to innovative, safe and effective medical devices through best-in-the-world regulatory science. We undertake regulatory research in the following program areas:

Office Organization

Contact Us

To contact us directly, email OSEL_CDRH@fda.hhs.gov.

For specific phone numbers and email, see the CDRH Management Directory by Organization.

For general questions about medical devices regulation, contact the Division of Industry and Consumer Education.




Subscribe to CDRH Science

Receive updates on regulatory science, the science of developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of medical devices and radiation-emitting products.

Back to Top