In another of the steps that underline his commitment to 21st Century policy making, President Biden has elevated the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to a Cabinet-level position.
Biden’s nominee for the new position is Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Lander is a geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician who co-led the human genome project.
When announcing the nomination, Biden emphasized, “Science will always be at the forefront of my administration.” Biden also noted that “world-renowned scientists will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts, and the truth. Their trusted guidance will be essential as we come together to end this pandemic, bring our economy back, and pursue new breakthroughs to improve the quality of life of all Americans.”
John Holdren, Harvard physicist and former science advisor to Barak Obama, praised Biden’s choice of Lander, commenting, “Eric is a fabulous choice, and he will make a terrific science adviser.” And Holdren described Lander as a science polymath who has a wide breadth of knowledge across many disciplines.
In a letter to Lander, President Biden asked Lander and has team to consider five questions covering topics ranging from the pandemic to climate change to making the benefits of technology available to all Americans to maintaining America’s world leadership in technology.
In his letter, Biden also stated, “I believe it is essential that we refresh and reinvigorate our national science and technology strategy to set us on a strong course for the next 75 years, so that our children and grandchildren may inhabit a healthier, safer, more just, peaceful, and prosperous world.”