Biden Taps Geneticist Eric Lander as First Cabinet-Level Science Adviser
President-elect Joe Biden selects Human Genome Project leader Eric Lander to serve as his top science adviser, marking the first time the role holds a cabinet-level position.
President-elect Joe Biden chooses prominent geneticist Eric Lander to serve as his presidential science adviser and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In a historic first for this role, Lander will hold a cabinet-level position if he receives confirmation from the U.S. Senate. This elevation fulfills a long-standing request from the scientific community to give science a stronger voice in top-level government decisions.
Lander brings impressive credentials to the position, including his leadership role in the Human Genome Project and his current status as the founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He will be the first biologist ever to lead the OSTP. Previously, he co-chaired the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology from 2009 to 2017, where he helps guide reports on critical issues like pandemics, vaccinations, and climate change.
Science policy experts and former colleagues widely praise the appointment as a major victory for evidence-based governance. Leaders like former National Institutes of Health head Harold Varmus note that placing a life scientist in this cabinet role marks a pivotal moment for science in government. Biden announces Lander's selection alongside several other esteemed scientists, reinforcing his pledge to ground his administration's decisions firmly in science.