Scientists Offer Next President Advice on Filling Science Posts

A new report offers the presidential candidates some advice on filling key scientific and technological posts after the election.

The report, jointly issued by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, lists 80 high-level science and technology appointments that the new president will have to fill come January. It urges scientists to consider the jobs, and asks Congress and the incoming administration to remove some of the hurdles in the notoriously convoluted confirmation process.

“The new administration and the nation will need exceptionally able scientists, engineers, and health professionals to serve in the federal government,” said John Edward Porter, a former Republican congressman from Illinois and chairman of the committee that wrote the report. “We hope that scientists and engineers will welcome this opportunity to bring fresh ideas and new energy to our nation’s agenda, and we hope that Congress and the incoming president will reduce the obstacles to attracting the best and brightest people to these jobs.”

Meanwhile, across town, another group of scientists was holding a press conference to urge the next president to invest more in basic energy research. The event, held by The Science Coalition and the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, included Susan Hockfield, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.