President Joe Biden has nominated Arati Prabhakar, PhD, to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to a June 21 White House press release. The nomination requires Senate confirmation.
Dr. Prabhakar was previously the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Her nomination to lead the OSTP comes after the former director, Eric Lander, PhD, resigned following an investigation into workplace bullying and misconduct. If confirmed to the position, Dr. Prabhakar will be the chief adviser for science and technology, a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and a member of the President’s Cabinet.
"Dr. Prabhakar is a brilliant and highly-respected engineer and applied physicist and will lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy to leverage science, technology, and innovation to expand our possibilities, solve our toughest challenges, and make the impossible possible," said President Biden.