Biden Elevates White House Science Role to Cabinet Level
President-elect Joe Biden names Eric Lander as his top science adviser and elevates the position to a Cabinet-level role. The move underscores the new administration's commitment to prioritizing scientific guidance during the ongoing public health crisis.
President-elect Joe Biden elevates the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to a Cabinet-level position, highlighting his administration's focus on science during a public health crisis. Biden names Eric Lander, a prominent leader of the Human Genome Project, to lead the office and serve as his presidential science adviser.
This appointment marks the first time a life scientist holds the presidential science adviser role. Additionally, Biden announces that Francis Collins will remain as the director of the National Institutes of Health to maintain continuity in government research leadership.
In a letter to Lander, Biden tasks the new science adviser with looking ahead to the next 75 years by addressing major challenges. Biden asks Lander to focus on five key areas, including lessons from the pandemic, climate change solutions, economic growth through scientific breakthroughs, and maintaining United States technological competitiveness on the global stage.