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President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced on Friday that he would enhance the role of science in his cabinet as part of an effort to “refresh and reinvigorate our national science and technology strategy.”
Mr Biden will appoint Eric S. Lander, director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and will also appoint him as science adviser to the president. For the first time, the position will be raised to cabinet level.
The appointments signal a dramatic shift in the role of science in the Trump administration. President Trump left the post of science adviser empty for 18 months, while his administration routinely ignored advice from government scientists on issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, chemical pollution and climate change.
Mr Biden has made other White House appointments that could increase the importance of science in decision-making, such as appointing John Kerry, the former Secretary of State and Democratic Senator, a special presidential envoy on climate change, and the creation of a new White. House Climate Policy Office headed by Gina McCarthy, who served as a trustee of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama.
“Eric Lander is a true Renaissance scientist in his broad understanding of the many fields of science and their interrelationships,” said Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences. “At a time when the nation and the world face complex challenges that will require harnessing the full power of the physical, life, environmental, social, biomedical and engineering sciences, Eric is a choice inspired by an international scientist to ensure that science guides solid politics. “
In Friday’s announcement, Biden also announced that Alondra Nelson, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, and chair of the Social Science Research Council in Washington, DC, will serve as deputy director of the Bureau of Science and Technology Policy.
Frances H. Arnold and Maria Zuber will be the external co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a council of eminent volunteer experts from outside the federal government. Dr Arnold, protein specialist at Caltech, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, only the fifth woman to do so. Dr Zuber, vice president of research at MIT, was the first woman to lead a NASA spacecraft mission.
“Science will always be at the forefront of my administration – and these world-renowned scientists will ensure that everything we do is based on science, fact and truth,” Biden said in his announcement. “Their trusted advice will be essential as we come together to end this pandemic, bring our economy back, and pursue new inroads to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Their ideas will help America chart a better future, and I am grateful to them for answering the call to serve. “
In 2018, Mr. Trump appointed Kelvin Droegemeier, then vice president of research at the University of Oklahoma, as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Although Dr Droegemeier is widely respected for his weather research, many scientists felt he was unable to convince Mr Trump to support a significant improvement in American science.
“I give it an A for effort and an F for performance,” a science policy expert told Science Magazine in October of Dr. Droegemeier.
While keeping a low profile during his two years in the White House, Dr Droegemeier made headlines in January. He kicked out two staff after posting climate denial brochures with a White House logo.
Mr. Trump left the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology inactive for 33 months. When it reconstituted in 2019, only one of its appointed members was an academic scientist, with private sector representatives filling the board.
Dr Lander, a candidate for the post of scientific adviser, is best known as one of the leaders of the human genome project. With a PhD in mathematics, he created elegant methods for sifting through genetic data to map genes and discover their functions and roles in disease.
Dr. Lander then founded the Broad Institute, which has grown into a leading research center in genome sequencing. Many researchers have also done some of the pioneering work on CRISPR, the DNA editing technology. Mr. Lander was previously co-chair of Mr. Obama’s science advisory board.
“Our country stands at the most important time for science and technology since World War II,” Dr. Lander said in a press release from the Broad Institute. “How we respond will shape our future for the rest of this century. President-elect Biden understands the central role of science and technology, and I am deeply honored to have the chance to serve the nation.
In a letter to Dr Lander which Mr Biden released on Friday, the President-elect recalled how President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had asked his science adviser, Vannevar Bush, a series of questions about how science could benefit States – United. Mr. Biden presented his own questions to Dr. Lander on improving public health, climate change, technology, and ensuring that the benefits of science are fully shared by all Americans.
“I look forward to receiving your recommendations – and to working with you, your team, and the broader scientific community to transform them into solutions that ease the daily burden on the American people, create new jobs and opportunities, and restore American leadership.” in the world. step, ”Biden wrote.
Mr Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will introduce Dr Lander, Dr Nelson, Dr Arnold and Dr Zuber at a live event at 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday in Wilmington, Del.
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