Oppenheimer made important contributions in many branches of physics, including nuclear physics, quantum theory, cosmic ray research, elementary particles, and relativity.

In 1942, Oppenheimer joined the atomic bomb project at the U.S. government laboratory at Los Alamos, N. M. In 1943 he was the director of that laboratory, leading the team of scientists that developed the atomic bomb. Later, he served as one of the original members of the "General Advisory Committee of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission."

In April 1954 he was suspended by the commission on suspicion of being a possible security risk. Two months later a special board ruled that he was innocent of any charges of disloyalty, but he was not reinstated.

In 1963, Oppenheimer received the Enrico Fermi Award from the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission for his work in theoretical physics and his role in the development of military and peaceful uses of atomic energy. He served as director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, N. J. from 1947 through 1966.