Biden introduces key members of White House science team

President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday introduced key members of his White House science team, including his nominee for director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

“These are among the brightest, most dedicated people not only in the country but the world,” Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware.

Eric Lander is the President-elect’s nominee to lead the OSTP and will serve as a presidential science adviser. Biden is elevating the role of presidential science adviser to be a member of the Cabinet for the first time.

“In a way, they, this is the most exciting announcement that I’ve gotten to make in the entire Cabinet, raising this to a Cabinet-level position in one case,” Biden said.

Biden has picked Alondra Nelson as the OSTP deputy director for science and society. He has also chosen Maria Zuber and Frances H. Arnold to serve as co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. Kei Koizumi will be OSTP chief of staff, while Narda Jones will serve as OSTP legislative affairs director.

Dr. Francis Collins will stay on as director of the National Institutes of Health.

“Science will always be at the forefront of my administration — and these world-renowned scientists will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts, and the truth,” Biden said in a statement.

The President-elect continued: “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. Their insights will help America chart a brighter future, and I am grateful they answered the call to serve.”

Lander served as external co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology during the Obama administration. He helped lead the Human Genome Project and has been a pioneer in the field of genomic medicine, according to the transition team. He is the president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a non-profit biomedical research institute.

Nelson is the president of the Social Science Research Council and a Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. She serves on the boards of trustees of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Russell Sage Foundation and is on the board of directors of the Teagle Foundation and the Data & Society Research Institute, according to the transition team.

Arnold was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, according to the transition team. She is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry and is the director of the Rosen Bioengineering Center at the California Institute of Technology.

Jones served as the senior technology policy adviser and counsel for the Democratic staff of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. She started working in the Senate in 2014 after holding senior roles at the Federal Communications Commission for more than a decade.

Koizumi serves on the Biden-Harris transition team and previously served as senior adviser for science policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also worked in the Obama administration as the assistant director for federal research and development and senior adviser to the National Science and Technology Council at OSTP.