President-elect Joe Biden tapped Eric Lander as director of Office of Science and Technology Policy and adviser on science, Associated Press reported. He is the first life scientist to hold that office; his predecessor was a meteorologist. A pioneer in mapping the humane genome – the so-called “book of life” – Lander is the founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

With this appointment, Biden lifted the top science job to a Cabinet position, a first in the White House history. Explaining his appointment, Biden said: “Science will always be at the forefront of my administration.”

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The incoming-president also said that he is retaining National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, who worked with Lander on the human genome project, and named two prominent female scientists to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

2018 Nobel prize winner Frances Arnold and MIT vice president for research and geophysics professor Maria Zuber will co-chair the outside science advisory council.

Arnold is also a California Institute of Technology chemical engineer.

“The job as director of science and technology policy requires Senate confirmation,” AP reported.

Upon the promotion of the science post, science organisations were quick to praise Lander and the elevation.

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“Elevating (the science adviser) role to member in the President’s Cabinet clearly signals the administration’s intent to involve scientific expertise in every policy discussion,” said Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society.

Lander, also a mathematician, has won many science prizes, including a MacArthur “genius” fellowship and a Breakthrough Prize, and is one of Pope Francis’ scientific advisors.