President-elect Biden to Elevate Science Policy Office Chief to Ministerial Level

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] President-elect Joe Biden has elevated the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) director to a cabinet-level position.

According to major foreign media on the 15th (local time), Biden's transition team has nominated Eric Lander, a renowned mathematician and geneticist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as the director of OSTP. The transition team announced that the position would be elevated to cabinet-level to emphasize the importance of science. Professor Lander is a mathematician and geneticist and an authority on the Human Genome Project.

Foreign media evaluated that Professor Lander's appointment reflects the significance of life sciences amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.