Senate confirms Eric Lander to lead White House science shop
May. 28, 2021 , 12:25 PM
The U.S. Senate today confirmed mathematician and geneticist Eric Lander as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Lander will also serve as President Joe Biden’s science adviser and hold a seat in Biden’s Cabinet.
Lander, 64, has long held prominent roles in U.S. research and science policy. He was president and founding director of the Broad Institute, which is jointly run by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology for 8 years under former President Barack Obama, where he worked closely with Obama science adviser John Holdren, and interacted with Biden, who was vice president. Lander also co-led the public Human Genome Project to the completion of a first draft in 2001.
The Senate this afternoon approved the nomination of Eric Lander to be head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, but punted until next month on legislation to authorize new funding for the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.
The Senate confirmed President Biden’s nominee to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Eric Lander, in a voice vote on Friday.