TOP 150 SCIENCE AND TECHNology ROLES IN GOVERNMENT
The response to our recent open call for contributions helped identify 150 critical S&T roles across the Federal Government and why they matter for the Biden-Harris Administration. The Day One Project is excited to share our crowdsourced list.
Background: Top 150 S&T Roles
This list features key science and technology roles from across the Federal Government. Included are career and noncareer appointments, high-level leadership, and overlooked positions — all designed to ensure we capture and elevate the importance of each individual and role as the Administration seeks to implement an ambitious science and technology agenda.
OUR TOP 150 FEDERAL S&T ROLES
Career Appointment
The BARDA Director oversees a ~$3B budget and plays an integral role in advancing the development of new medical technologies and products. It is an important position because BARDA has lots of flexible authorities and is relatively low on bureaucracy, so projects can be undertaken in an expedient manner. Furthermore, BARDA plays a commandeering role in driving the COVID-19 vaccine research and partnerships. In the wake of the pandemic, the BARDA Director is crucial as more scrutiny will be placed on BARDA to keep the nation prepared for the medical consequences of future catastrophic events.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
Setting the agency priorities, the NIH Director drives biomedical science and the policy of science funding at the NIH. The Director must be a medical science expert that can work at the frontiers of biomedical research. Furthermore, the Director must understand and collaborate with the broad constituent base of the scientific and medical community. Moreover, the Director’s management style undoubtedly has ripple effects throughout the agency. Across the agency and its 27 institutes, the Director has the freedom to give input on every major decision made or the Director can run the NIH with a more federated approach, which gives more agenda-setting power to the 27 institute directors.
The Director can directly drive and influence agency S&T priorities by leveraging the Common Fund to fund a range of cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, high-risk research in collaboration with any of the NIH institutes. As the leader of the nation’s primary health research agency, the Director can dramatically affect the quality of America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery going forward.
Presidential Appointment
The NCI Director should have a strong cancer research background, along with a balanced mix of research, administrative and entrepreneurial experience. NCI has a budget of $6.4B, but the NCI Director must have strong interpersonal and communication skills that can be leveraged to work with stakeholders such as Congress.
Career Appointment
The DPSCPI Director is a key position at NIH to advance innovative funding policies, including challenges, common funds, and others. The Deputy Director leads the DPCPSI in identifying emerging scientific opportunities, public health challenges, and scientific knowledge gaps that merit further research. Furthermore, the Deputy Director plans and implements trans-NIH initiatives supported by the Common Fund and coordinates research related to AIDS, behavioral and social sciences, women's health, disease prevention, dietary supplements, sexual and gender minorities, tribal health, and research infrastructure.
Career Appointment
The Deputy Director for Extramural Research serves as the principal scientific leader and advisor to the Director of the NIH on all matters relating to the substance, quality, and effectiveness of the NIH extramural research program and administration. Furthermore, they lead and support the development of innovative initiatives, program and grants management policy and processes, and the small business and extramural technology development programs.
Career Appointment
The Deputy Director for Science Policy and Outreach is responsible for creating major new strategic and scientific initiatives for NIH. Furthermore, the Deputy Director directs the agency’s efforts to advance biomedical research through policy development, public and stakeholder communication and education, and innovative projects and partnerships. This role has been vacant since 2017.
Career Appointment
The Deputy Director for Intramural Research coordinates activities and facilitates cooperation among the 27 Institute-based and Center-based Scientific Directors to achieve the scientific, training, and public health missions of the NIH Intramural Research Program. The Deputy Director provides guidance for the entire intramural program and reports to the NIH Director. They oversee and ultimately approve the hiring of all NIH principal investigators, and they are the institutional official responsible for human subjects research protections, research integrity, technology transfer, and animal care and use at the NIH.
Career Appointment
The Chief of Staff assists the NIH Director in their agenda-setting initiatives across the NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers. The Chief of Staff is a crucial coordinating and support role for the NIH Director.
Career Appointment
The OSC Director directly oversees all the Common Fund funding, which funds a range of cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, high-risk research that can involve collaboration with any of the NIH institutes. Furthermore, OSC is the central management hub for all the Common Fund programs.
Noncareer Appointment
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. The ONC has tremendous influence over how digital technologies including electronic health records are rolled out across the American health care system. The National Coordinator sets policy priorities, guides development and implementation of policy, and chooses and oversees advisory boards. The rules the National Coordinator helps set affect safety, privacy, cost, efficiency and user-friendliness of technologies at the core of how we experience health care in the digital world. They must understand the healthcare system as a whole (not just prioritizing the interests of hospitals and large healthcare organizations), understand technology and data standards, be committed to balancing patient privacy with scientific and clinical value, and be forward-thinking about the evolution and intersection of clinical care, public health, self-care, and clinical research.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary leads USDA’s policy development and execution for food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, and nutrition. This role is responsible for overseeing the American farming industry, helping farmers with price support subsidies and leading food inspection efforts. As a member of the Cabinet, the Secretary serves as main advisor to the President on issues related to agriculture and food.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
This position is the top scientist at the USDA, overseeing the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Economic Research Service and more. ARS conducts research supporting the USDA's mission, while NIFA funds agricultural research at universities. This position is critical to all research conducted and funded by the USDA on food security and sustainability.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is USDA’s principal in-house research agency and has a portfolio of research and technology transfer programs that deliver scientific solutions to many of the nation’s highest priority agricultural challenges. The ARS Director oversees a $1.3B budget, 1,800 scientists and 90 laboratories throughout the world. The Director provides national leadership, vision, guidance, and direction for the Agricultural Research Service.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture on policy to promote conservation and sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The person in this role is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the U.S. Forest Service, and shepherding the improvement of forest conditions across the National Forest System and all the nation’s forests.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator manages the day-to-day functions and the strategic and operational future of NOAA—the nation’s top science agency for climate, oceans, and the atmosphere. The Administrator is integral to executing a coherent federal climate-change policy. The Administrator oversees a $5.6B budget and monitors programmatic functions such as the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, National Ocean Service, and the National Weather Service. The Administrator needs to have solid scientific rigor, team-building skills, and strategic sensibility to successfully run NOAA.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Deputy NOAA Administrator leads a variety of efforts aimed at advancing marine transportation, sustainable seafood, and ocean exploration and mapping. The Deputy Administrator leads NOAA’s support on Indo-Pacific Strategy, Arctic research, operations, and engagement, and the execution of science and technology strategies for AI, unmanned systems, genomics, cloud tech, and citizen science. The Deputy Administrator chairs or co-chairs a variety of interagency bodies including the Coordinating Board for the Committee on the Marine Transportation System and the US Coral Reef Task Force. The Deputy Administrator is a member of the National Science and Technology Council’s Select Committee on AI, the National Security Council’s Policy Coordination Committees on Pacific Island Countries, the Arctic, and Maritime Security, and the Executive Steering Group of the National Space Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction is responsible for guiding key investments that advance weather modeling and prediction, space innovation, unmanned systems research, and public-private partnerships for a blue economy. The Assistant Secretary is responsible for strategic oversight over spending related to weather modeling and prediction, space innovation, streamlining unmanned systems research for mission areas, and partnership potential for the nation's oceans.
Career Appointment
The Assistant Administrator oversees OAR, the research and development arm of NOAA and the driving force behind environmental products aimed at protecting life and promoting sustainable economic growth. The Assistant Administrator is responsible for a variety of research enterprises, including a network of laboratories and programs like the Climate Program, Weather Research, and Ocean Exploration.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff provides direct support to the NOAA Administrator. The Chief of Staff provides the complete range of management functions to the Administrator’s immediate staff of professionals and secretarial employees. They develop plans and oversee policies. major programs of joint effort. Lastly, they direct the functions, hiring, training, and disciplinary actions.
Presidential Appointment
The Chief Scientist is responsible for driving policy and programming for NOAA’s science and technology priorities. This includes a broad research and technology portfolio, ranging from fisheries and marine biology to climate change and satellite instrumentation. The Chief Scientist is also responsible for ensuring that policy decisions are aligned with scientific evidence.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the federal hub for advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. The NIST Director provides high-level oversight and direction for NIST and will play a key role in setting standards related to AI, QIS and other emerging technologies of the coming years. The NIST Director should be someone with a broad background in science and technology, a history of working effectively with U.S. federal labs, and significant cross-sector and industry leadership experience.
Career Appointment
The Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services serves as NIST’s principal executive responsible for partnerships with industry, providing oversight for the key extramural and technology transfer programs of the institute, including the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership; the Office of Advanced Manufacturing, which coordinates the interagency Manufacturing USA program; and the Technology Partnerships Office, which includes NIST’s Small Business Innovation Research Program. The Associate Director is responsible for enhancing the successful transfer of new technologies from NIST’s research laboratories to commercial markets and for reporting on behalf of the Federal Government impacts from the nation’s more than $150 billion federal investment in research. Lastly, the Associate Director is responsible for coordinating technology transfer policy development and implementation through a network of U.S. federal interagency technology transfer bodies.
Noncareer Appointment
The Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning oversees the development and implementation of policy throughout the department. Given the vast sweep of the Commerce Department's portfolio, its Policy Director can have substantial influence over a wide array of issues that affect science and technology, including: allocation of spectrum (NTIA), standards development (NIST), export control (BIS), and environmental policy (NOAA), among others.
Career Appointment
Reporting directly to the NIST Director, the Associate Director for Laboratory Programs manages U.S. measurement infrastructure—all of NIST’s scientific and technology lab programs. They oversee national advanced spectrum and communications test networks (Comms Tech lab), cyber-physical systems like Smart Grid Program Office (Engineering Lab), cybersecurity framework (IT Lab), neutron research and nanoscale science and technology (crucial for SME fabrication methods).
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary for Acquisition & Sustainment is in charge of the effective acquisition system—all matters pertaining to contract administration, logistics and materiel readiness, installations and environment, operational energy, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, the acquisition workforce, and the defense industrial base. The Under Secretary focuses on rapidly responding to Combatant Commands’ needs, modernizing nuclear deterrent, executing acquisition reforms, sustaining critical weapons systems, collaborating with emerging partners, and ensuring the nation’s industrial base is robust, secure, resilient, and innovative.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
With a focus on R&D and innovation, the requirements of the Under Secretary are to provide technical and research expertise, possess a deep understanding of how to navigate the agency, and serve as a bridge for engaging and inspiring industry to work and support key initiatives and research within the Pentagon. The Under Secretary is responsible for research, development, and prototyping activities across the defense enterprise, and charged with ensuring the technological superiority of the DOD. Furthermore, the Under Secretary oversees DARPA, Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Innovation Unit, the Space Development Agency, the Department of Defense Laboratory enterprise, and the Under Secretariat staff on advanced technology and capabilities. This position is critical for the R&D enterprise.
Noncareer Appointment
The Principle Director for Biotechnology is the key leader in biotechnology strategy, investment, modernization, and implementation across DOD, as the senior biotech role in the Office of Under Secretary of Defense (R&D) and senior leader-advisor for each of the services and unified combatant commands. Because biotechnology is crucial, but not traditionally thought of as a defense technology, the role shapes the perspective of senior leaders and policymakers across an entire Federal S&T domain. The Principle Director contributes to war game development and scenarios that would enable the risks and opportunities to be observed in the context of mission applications. This position is important for the Administration because the position provides a service-specific perspective on requirements and priorities in biotechnology development. The Principle are responsible for assessing, developing strategy, and implementing biotechnology modernization across each of the respective mission sets.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary is responsible for consistently providing responsive, forward-thinking, and insightful policy advice to the Secretary of Defense on national security objectives and priorities, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. The Under Secretary assists with the Defense Technology Security Administration.
Noncareer Appointment
The CAPE Director reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy to provide analytic advice on all aspects of the defense program, including alternative weapon systems and force structures, the development and evaluation of defense program alternatives, and the cost-effectiveness of defense systems. The CAPE Director develops planning guidance, production of applicable programming guidance, and direction of the annual review program (e.g., Future Years Defense Program—force structure, procurement, manpower, R&D costs). Furthermore, the CAPE Director informs Joint Requirements Oversight Council, and conducts special studies, e.g. military medical care, school systems for military dependents, information technology, and defense economics.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Deputy Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy (DASD) leads a network of over 700 small business professionals and advises on acquisition. They integrate all DOD small business initiatives and oversee the efficient and effective functioning of the Department’s Small Business Specialists and Acquisition Workforce. The DASD provides guidance and oversight to Military Service and Agencies in creating unity of effort over DOD Small Business Strategy, part of the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy. Lastly, the DASD is responsible for small business improvements and partnerships within DOD, especially with startups in tech.
Schedule C Excepted Appointment
The Assistant Secretary for Space Policy leads DOD space policy. This individual has full oversight over all space activities of the DoD, from procurement of launch vehicles to launch, licensing, and GPS satellites. The Assistant Secretary also leads interagency coordination on behalf of DOD.
Noncareer Appointment
The DARPA Director leads the agency with the mission to "anticipate, explore, and achieve the concepts and technologies on which our Nation's future deterrent and defense must depend." DARPA has contributed numerous breakthroughs for national security and laid the foundation for a series of technology revolutions. Its role is as vital as ever, and ithus the DARPA Director musy be a experienced and creative leader.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary of the Air Force is responsible for the affairs of the Air Force, including organizing, training, equipping, and providing for the welfare of 685,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Airmen and their families. The Secretary oversees Air Force’s annual budget of more than $205 billion, directs the development of strategy and policy, risk management, weapons acquisition, tech investments, and human resource management.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The OSTP Director covers two science and technology issue areas where they influence decision making on key policies such as national security, environment, and energy policy. First, the OSTP Director provides advice to the President and key Administration officials on S&T priorities and serves a significant coordinating role on agenda-setting across the Federal R&D enterprise (NASA, DOE, NSF, etc), including the R&D budget, management and oversight. Second, the OSTP Director manages the NSTC and co-chairs PCAST. Third, the OSTP Director coordinates communication activities during disasters, and represents the U.S. at international S&T policy-related meetings. Lastly, the OSTP Director serves as a two-way communication conduit between the EOP and the federal and non-federal S&T community. The OSTP Director can use their role as a “bully pulpit” to encourage federal agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and others in the S&T community to align with the Executive Branch’s S&T agenda.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The CTO is a policy role defined by the individual that inhabits it. Distinct from OMB’s CIO, The CTO position has been seen primarily as an outward reaching position whose priority responsibilities are exploiting not only information technology, but technological innovation that can bridge the digital divide and address the major societal challenges that the country faces, such as job creation, health care, and national security. Furthermore, the CTO works closely with others both across and outside government on a broad range of work to upgrade government technological capability. The CTO needs to be someone who is a technologist and can draw on their unique perspective to inform the policy priorities of the Administration.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Associate Director for Science helps to advise the President and the OSTP Director on the implications of scientific developments on public policy and on Federal efforts in support of scientific research. The Associate Director’s responsibilities include overseeing national and international science and education policy development and federal agency program coordination for the physical sciences, life sciences, environmental science, behavioral and social sciences and education.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
Manage and oversee research on current and future nuclear energy systems, maintaining the government’s nuclear energy research infrastructure, establish a path forward for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste management program, and execute on administration priorities on nuclear energy. The Assistant Secretary will need to work in conjunction with the next administration to execute their priorities on nuclear energy research as well as maintaining or improving US nuclear energy systems.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary leads DOE to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent, reduce threat of nuclear proliferation, oversee the US energy supply, carry out environmental clean-up from the Cold War nuclear mission, and manage 17 National Laboratories. Must develop strategic priorities for DOE. There needs to be a healthy working relationship between the Secretary and the EOP to foster in order to develop effective energy policy, especially relevant for the next administration’s climate change agenda.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary leads DOE to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent, reduce threat of nuclear proliferation, oversee the US energy supply, carry out environmental clean-up from the Cold War nuclear mission, and manage 17 National Laboratories. Must develop strategic priorities for DOE. There needs to be a healthy working relationship between the Secretary and the EOP to foster in order to develop effective energy policy, especially relevant for the next administration’s climate change agenda.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The NNSA Administrator manages the operation of NNSA and advises on NNSA policy. Supports NNSA missions to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of the US nuclear weapons stockpile; reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provide the US navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the US and abroad. The NNSA Administrator is an Important voice in shaping US nuclear weapons policy.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for Electricity leads DOE efforts to ensure the nation's most critical energy infrastructure is secure and resilient against disruptions. Work with private and public sector stakeholders to support advanced grid research and development, energy resilience, and grid operations technology. The position plays a key role in securing and developing a resilient energy infrastructure for the 21st century.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary leads DOE to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent, reduce threat of nuclear proliferation, oversee the U.S energy supply, carry out environmental clean-up from the Cold War nuclear mission, and manage 17 National Laboratories. The Secretary must develop strategic priorities for DOE. There needs to be a healthy working relationship between the Secretary and the White House in order to develop effective energy policy, especially relevant for an ambitious climate change agenda.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Deputy Secretary acts as the principal advisor on energy policy and on a wide array of existing and emerging energy technologies. The Deputy Secretary is responsible for driving transformative energy progress and technology solutions through coordinated planning, management, and innovation. The Deputy Secretary is an important advisor within the agency on energy policy and will be able to champion the Administration's energy policy in both planning and execution.
Noncareer Appointment
The Associate Deputy Secretary serves as an advisor on energy policy and existing & emerging energy technologies. They are responsible for adapting the U.S energy supply to shifting conditions. They manage operations and R&D for energy innovation. They can support and champion the shift to renewable energy sources in the management of U.S energy supply.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff directs the Office of the Secretary, helping to oversee the agency's billion dollar budget and 100,000+ person workforce. The Chief of Staff is crucial because they aid the Secretary in development of energy policy and operationally translating policy into action.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary for Science advises on fundamental energy research, energy technologies, and science. They direct programs including nuclear and high energy particle physics, basic energy, advanced computing, fusion, and biological and environmental research. The Under Secretary is in charge of the environmental and legacy management missions of DOE, namely the U.S. legacy of nuclear weapons production and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. The Under Secretary acts as the head of technology commercialization activities for DOE and its 17 national laboratories. Additionally, the Under Secretary plays a role Administration's nuclear weapons policy and technology commercialization activities from DOE.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary and NNSA Administrator manages the operation of NNSA and advises on NNSA policy. They supports NNSA missions to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S nuclear weapons stockpile; reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provide the U.S navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S and abroad. The NNSA Administrator is an important voice in shaping U.S nuclear weapons policy.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Director of ARPA-E leads the agency in advancing high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. The ARPA-E Director identifies and manages strategic priorities on ARPA-E research and manages the funding of its R&D portfolio. ARPA-E’s focus is on supporting high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that would not receive private-sector support at their early stages. The Director supports all activities across ARPA-E’s portfolio, and has deep expertise in R&D, energy and portfolio management. The ARPA-E Director is a critical role for the current Administration’s focus on climate change and furthering a clean energy future.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs promotes the Secretary’s, Department’s, and Administration’s policies, legislative initiatives, and budget requests with the Congress, State, territorial, Tribal, and local government officials, and other federal agencies. The Assistant Secretary serves as DOE’s liaison with Members of Congress, other levels of governments and stakeholders which includes consumer liaison, and public interest groups. They are the main point of contact for advancing the administration's energy policy with Congress. This role will be critical in helping with all confirmation processes. They will also be critical to ensure that the new Secretary forms strong connections on Capitol Hill as well as with other agencies to coordinate on key energy, climate, or defense issues.
Noncareer Appointment
The Executive Director manages the distribution of funding and deployment of large-scale energy infrastructure projects in the United States. The Director administer three different loan programs to develop high-impact energy-related ventures. LPO has $40 billion in loan and loan guarantee authority available to develop advanced technology vehicles manufacturing, tribal energy development projects, innovative advanced fossil energy projects, innovative advanced nuclear energy projects, and innovative renewable energy & efficient energy projects. The Director could be a major resource in steering federal funding toward updating U.S energy infrastructure.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity leads DOE’s efforts to ensure the nation's most critical energy infrastructure is secure and resilient against disruptions. The person in this role serves as the primary liaison between private and public sector stakeholders in support of advancing grid research and development, energy resilience, and grid operations technology. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the “Power Marketing Administrations” facilitating and supporting the use and implementation of hydropower across the United States. The Assistant Secretary plays a vital role in securing and developing a resilient energy infrastructure for the 21st century.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The CESER Assistant Secretary maintains unique and sector-wide situational awareness, discovers and mitigates vulnerabilities and cyber threats, and orchestrates response and recovery operations through capacity building, partnerships, research, and information sharing to safeguard against all hazards. CESER is the most sector facing office in the Department, coordinating two energy sub-sector councils—Oil and Natural Gas and —with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency The CESER Assistant Secretary plays a critical role in safeguarding the nation's energy system against vulnerabilities and cyber threats. In light of the recent cyber attacks, the Assistant Secretary will be critical for protecting American energy infrastructure from foreign adversaries and cyber attacks.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Office of Science Director leads DOE’s Office of Science, which is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research in physical sciences and responsible for 10 of the 17 DOE national labs. They determine key science priorities for DOE. The person in this role will work with the DOE Secretary and the administration to develop key science priorities for DOE.
Noncareer Appointment
The Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) serves as the central hub for technology transfer activities across the Department of Energy’s extensive R&D enterprise. The Director leads OTT in its work to expand the commercial reach of DOE research and development activities. The Director works to ensure groundbreaking scientific discoveries achieve their maximum public return and impact, advancing the economic, energy, and national security interests of the United States. OTT also implements Congressional legislation, including the dissemination of two reports to Congress—the “Technology Transitions Execution plan” and the “Report on Technology Transfer and Related Technology Partnering Activities at the National Laboratories and Other Facilities.” The Director also coordinates with DOE’s National Labs and scientific researchers on developing intellectual property and fostering strong internal and external partnerships that guide innovations from the lab toward the marketplace.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for International Affairs supports the international agenda of the DOE Secretary. The Assistant Secretary develops relationships and initiatives to enhance global energy security through countering malign influence, diversifying supplies, and increasing energy access. The Assistant Secretary supports the increase of U.S energy exports and works with the United States Trade Representative to enhance growth through trade. The Assitant Secretary is instrumental in executing the international dimension of energy policy.
Noncareer Appointment
The AITO Director oversees the research, development, delivery, and application of artificial intelligence (AI). The AITO Director lead the synchronization of AI applications to advance the DOE’s core missions and expand public and private sector strategic partnerships in AI. This position is critical to the AI policy agenda since DOE’s AITO is currently poised to be the U.S government’s lead agency in the civilian use of AI.
Career Appointment
The Associate Director leads funding for basic research at more than 160 research institutions to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and support DOE’s mission. The Associate Director is responsible for planning, constructing, and operating major scientific user facilities to serve researchers from universities, national laboratories, and private institutions. The Associate Director is critical because fundamental research in basic energy sciences is necessary to advance US innovation.
Career Appointment
The Associate Director directs funding for over 90 percent of nuclear science research in the U.S. The Associate Director supports four scientific user facilities: the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF); the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); and currently under construction, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). The Associate Director is responsible for managing the DOE Isotope Program, which supports the production, distribution, and development of production techniques for radioactive and stable isotopes to the nation. DOE’s Office of Nuclear Physics is the top funding resource for nuclear science research in the U.S. and directs fundamental research that can inform nuclear policy.
Noncareer Appointment
By statute, the Director reports directly to the Secretary, and is authorized to develop and implement the national vision and strategy for educational technology policy both within the Department and across government. This includes promoting awareness of the potential of technology for improving teaching and learning, supporting state and local efforts to increase the effective, research-based use of technology, promoting the effective uses of technology in existing federal education programs, and coordinating educational technology activities among the public and private sectors. The Director develops national educational technology policy and establishes the vision for how technology can be used to transform teaching and learning to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible for K-12, higher education, and adult education programs. The Director works in collaboration with other ED offices, the White House, and other federal agencies on issues related to the effective use of technology to support teaching and learning. OET is also the primary Department of Education office for outreach to the education technology developer community.
With virtually all learning in both public K-12 schools and higher education institutions either fully online or partially online, there is a critical need for a strategic vision of the policies, strategies, capacities, and resources necessary for effective online and hybrid teaching and learning. This role is critical to a successful pandemic response by supporting the effective, efficient use of federal funds at both the state and local levels as well as providing guidance on the equitable, effective use of technology for learning to begin to address the disproportionate learning lost though the pandemic among marginalized youth and our most vulnerable populations. The Director will need to coordinate closely with the senior leadership at ED, WH OSTP, DPC, NEC, HHS, CDC, and others to ensure that the government is properly prioritizing and supporting evidence-based practices to accelerate our recovery and minimize ongoing learning losses, and to ensure that all students are being reached and served.
Schedule C Excepted Appointment
The Deputy Director of OET provides direct support to the mission of the office, and often takes on an additional specialty role based on their background and the priority needs of ED that may include expertise, for example, in higher education or in the more technical side of learning technology (privacy, interoperability, OER, etc), as opposed to the policy side. This position also often serves as an internal consultant to ED offices providing them guidance on the best use of technology for their priorities, impacting the deployment and use of billions of dollars in federal spending. The administration may choose to appoint someone to this role with particular expertise to move forward national policy initiatives. For example, if extending broadband for learning at home is a priority for the administration, this person could be an expert in E-rate and state and school connectivity issues. If helping higher education adapt to fully online or hybrid learning was a priority, this position could be someone with higher ed leadership and learning technology expertise.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary works with Congress, the White House, OMB, Program Offices and Office of the Secretary to structure agency priorities, policy agenda, and influences budget priorities. Historically, the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development holds the most influence and sets the policy agenda within the Department of Education.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Director leads the statistics, research, and evaluation portfolio of the Department of Education. The Director oversees a variety of data gathering exercises including surveys and research projects to understand areas and ways to improve student learning. The Director also receives insight directly from members of the National Board of Education Sciences, who are also appointed by the President.
Presidential Appointment
The Commissioner sets policy and standards for the operation of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) -- the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. The Commissioner oversees the collection, analysis, and reporting of complete statistics on the condition of American education. In addition, the Commissioner oversees the data gathering and dissemination of reports representing and dissecting educational activities domestically and internationally.
The Chief Data Officer (CDO) leads the Department of Education’s Office of the Chief Data Officer, which is responsible for data governance, open data initiatives, and data analytics to improve the agency’s ability to leverage data as a strategic asset. The CDO chairs ED’s Data Governance Board, gathering input from across ED to inform policy and process decisions about the development and use of the ED’s data assets. The CDO serves as ED’s liaison to other agencies and OMB on the best way to use existing agency data for statistical purposes. The CDO coordinates with the ED’s Chief Information Officer to improve infrastructure and reduce barriers that inhibit the accessibility of data, and on implementing and enforcing applicable policies and procedures with respect to records management. The CDO engages agency employees, the public, and contractors in using public data assets, and encourages collaborative approaches on improving data use.
Presidential Appointment
NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice— dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. The NIJ Director oversees the agency’s research agenda and works towards strengthening DOJ’s evidenced-based policymaking capacity. Furthermore, they measure the impact of science investments on criminal justice policies, and encourage multidisciplinary activity across offices. They award research grants on topics related to the justice system, including policing, crime prevention, juvenile justice, corrections and sentencing, forensics, and technology.
Presidential Appointment
The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the principal government entity responsible for collecting, analyzing, and publishing data related to crime nationwide. The Director oversees the dissemination of criminal justice information and manages the financial and technical support provided to state, local, and tribal governments to enhance their statistical capabilities.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The USPTO Director acts as the principal advisor to the President on all intellectual property (IP) policy matters, serves as chief executive of USPTO and guides PTO’s strategic and management goals. This USPTO Director is crucial to S&T in the next administration because they steer the PTO’s direction on IP priorities—a healthy patent and trademark system is necessary for competitive innovation in technology. Director will play a critical role in aiding and supporting the implementation of administration’s policies on innovation, industrialization, research and development, food and drug, and trade.
Appointment Excepted by Statute
The Deputy Director acts as an advisor to the PTO Director and responsible for the operations of 4 USPTO Regional Offices, including 13,000 employees, and the management of the $3.5 Billion budget. They divide policy leadership duties with the PTO Director. They aid in steering PTO’s direction on iP priorities. Similarly, they can focus the legislative, regulatory, and international initiatives needed to support the next administration’s S&T agenda.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff acts as an advisor to the PTO Director and responsible for operational management, as well as the communication of the President’s IP agenda. Primary liaison for day-to-day policy coordination with the White House, Department of Commerce, and other agencies. They are the key bridge between administration and PTO in shaping and executing an IP agenda that values S&T. During the Obama administration, the Chief of Staff was a source of substantive counsel to the Under Secretary on S&T policy matters.
Career Appointment
The Commissioner of Patents is the operational lead of the patents division of USPTO. Manages and directs administration of patent operations, examination policy, patent quality management, international patent cooperation, resources and planning, and budget administration. Although typically an operational role for PTO, previous Commissioners have played a substantial role in S&T policy discussions and decision making.
Career Appointment
The Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations proves oversight to nine Patent Technology Centers including biotech and organic fields, chemical and materials engineering, computer architecture software and information security, computer networks, multiplex, cable, and cryptography, communications, semiconductor, etc. Lastly, they have oversight over priority areas of emerging technology, especially considering plans of SME reshoring and AI development.
Career Appointment
The Chief Policy Officer (CPO) acts as a policy advisor to the USPTO Director. The CPO manages USPTO’s domestic and international intellectual property (IP) policy activities, legislative engagement through the Office of Governmental Affairs, education and training through the through the Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA), global advocacy through the IP Attache Program, and economic analysis of the Office of the Chief Economist. Intellectual property can become more collaborative or more combative internationally, and thus the CPO plays a crucial role in advancing USPTO’s leadership and participation in both domestic and international innovation policy, especially with the increased focus on global technological competition.
Career Appointment
The General Counsel acts as the legal advisor to the PTO Director. They oversee the Office of General Counsel, which includes the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline. Represents the agency before the Federal Circuits and works with the Solicitor General and Dept. of Justice to formulate USG positions on Supreme Court litigations. They shape U.S innovation policy by intervening on behalf of the Federal Government in appellate cases that bear on substantive patent, trade secrecy, and copyright law.
Career Appointment
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the principal advisor to USPTO on the design, development, and management of its information systems and technology. Hackers and legacy software hinder reliable processing of USPTO’s patent applications, slowing down innovation. The CIO has the opportunity to undertake a fundamental stabilization and modernization effort to transition USPTO to modern technology, which would make USPTO more agile and would enable more American innovation.
Career Appointment
The Chief Judge of the PTAB leads the PTAB as it conducts post-grant trials, including inter partes reviews, post-grant reviews, covered business method patent reviews and derivation proceedings, and as it hears appeals from adverse examiner decisions in patent applications and reexamination proceedings. PTAB administrative adjudication is becoming increasingly important to patent policy, which heavily influences American innovation. Over the last few years the patent board has received numerous challenges, including a few Supreme Court cases.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Under Secretary manages the science and technology (S&T) mission capabilities at DHS including borders and maritime security, chemical and biological defense, critical infrastructure and resilience, cybersecurity, explosives, and expanding first responder capabilities. The Under Secretary oversees all science and technology research and development throughout the entire department. This position reports directly to the Secretary of DHS and engages with all DHS Components to ensure that technical advances are integrated into all its mission areas. The S&T Directorate provides support to all national First Responders, engagement with international partners involved in non-military homeland security, and coordination with U.S national intelligence agencies. The Under Secretary oversees all S&T for the entire Department and is responsible for support to acquisition of advanced technology to all non-military national security across the federal government. The Under Secretary is also responsible for ensuring local and state first responders have access to the latest scientific and technical advances. The Undersecretary serves as the Chief Technology Advisor to the Secretary of DHS, and routinely participates in the DHS advisory council consisting of the heads of all DHS Components. The Director of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency also reports to this role.
Noncareer Appointment
This Director runs an organization generally consisting of four or five divisions, each led by senior executive service members and containing several scientific and technical senior experts (S&T positions) as well as program managers, staff, and contractor support personnel. This agency in the past has had a budget up to $1B, but it has been significantly reduced over the past decade. The divisions within the agencies are responsible for evaluation of scientific advances and direct contractual support to organizations developing technology in DHS priority areas such as chemical and biological defense, explosives/hazards detection, cybersecurity, and more.
Selected by the Undersecretary for S&T and appointed by the Secretary of DHS, this position should be filled by a senior scientific or technical expert, with considerable experience running organizations composed of scientific/technical program managers, with a sizable R&D budget.
This position requires a rare deep understanding of a broad range of scientific/technical areas, from chemistry and physics, to cyber systems and national defense. This position routinely testifies before Congress, engages with OMB, and coordinates with the intelligence community. The position also involves significant policy experience and routinely engages with OSTP, DOD, DOE, and FBI. A successful HSARPA Director must be both a leader and a good manager of high-level teams, responsible for hiring expert program managers, capable of understanding complex scientific and technical information across an exceptionally broad range of areas, and an effective manager of the federal budget process. The Director must lead a "team of teams'', encouraging and facilitating coordination and cooperation across diverse technical teams, and lead by encouragement of the best outcome rather than dictating specific tasks. It is likely that the best qualified candidate would be a Ph.D. scientist with extensive experience in running large organizations, managing a multi-million dollar budget, and routine, effective engagement with multiple outside entities, including similar international organizations.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Director oversees the strategic direction of 20,000 people in 10 regional offices dedicated to ensuring effective disaster management. They are responsible for effective responses to Presidential and state governor’s requests for assistance, providing on-the-ground recovery assistance and coordinating with the Small Business Administration.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Secretary and Chief Medical Officer leads efforts to help communities nationwide prepare for a chemical or biological attack, and build their capacity to respond and recover. The responsibilities include anticipating the public health impact of biological attacks, chemical releases, pandemics and infectious disease threats, and disasters to prepare the nation to respond and rebound. They also play an important role in informing federal, state, and local decision making about high consequence biological threats with biosurveillance programs that provide early warnings for a rapid response to contain and limit the impact. The Chief Medical Officer plays a key role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for future outbreaks. This role should be filled with a person with deep expertise in both medical and chemical and biological defense areas.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief Scientist acts as a department-wide asset in providing scientific advice in policy development and policy implementation. The Chief Scientist acts as the “Scientific Integrity Officer” across DHS. They are also DHS’s liaison to the Advisory Board, which reported to the Secretary on the impacts of emerging technology on homeland security. The Chief Scientist position is selected by the Undersecretary for Science and Technology and is confirmed by the Secretary of DHS. To be effective in the position, the Chief Scientist possesses both broad and deep scientific and technical experience, and can engage with high-level scientific and technical personnel within DHS and throughout the Federal Government. The Chief Scientist typically serves on National Science & Technology Council Committees and sub-committees, and routinely engages with scientific leadership from NSF, DOE, NIH, and DOD.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary of Labor oversees the enforcement and administration of more than 180 federal employment laws (OSHA, Mine Safety and Health Administration, WIOA) covering 150 million workers and 10 million workplaces. The Secretary serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund. The Secretary guides the Labor Department in executing White House initiatives in federal programming for workforce development and international trade agreements, among other labor issues. The Secretary will be a key player in coordinating COVID-19 response on rebuilding S&T workforce, expanding S&T employment opportunities for domestic workforce, introducing new federal programming on labor issues, and implementing international trade agreements.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff plans, directs, and coordinates operational activities and high-level labor strategy to aid the Secretary of Labor. The Chief of Staff heavily influences the strategy and policy guidance for DOL on S&T issues.
Schedule C Excepted Appointment
The White House Liaison builds the relationship between the DOL and White House and develops and directs human resource functions and operations for appointees within DOL. The Liaison serves as a critical bridge between White House and DOL in developing an S&T labor agenda that is executable by DOL.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for Policy advises the Secretary of Labor, Deputy Secretary of Labor, and Department leadership on policy development, program evaluation, regulations, program implementation, data governance, compliance strategies, research, and legislation. The Assistant Secretary will guide DOL strategy on labor policy, including new initiatives on S&T workforce development and innovation policy.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs liaises with federal, state, and local policymakers to promote DOL’s programs and federal labor issues. They assist DOL agency staff in developing effective programs and strategies to meet Department legislative goals and objectives. The Assistant Secretary coordinates federal labor S&T issues with stakeholders from all three legislative levels of government federal, state, and local and serves as a key contact in developing S&T labor agenda that is executable by DOL.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training administers core programming under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), such as federal job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. The Assistant Secretary serves as a key resource in upskilling the U.S domestic workforce for technical jobs.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Commissioner of Labor Statistics disseminates U.S labor statistics to American public, U.S Congress, federal agencies, state and local governments, businesses, and labor representatives. The Commissioner coordinates with OMB on major data releases. The Commissioner plays a principal fact-finding role on U.S labor statistics, which can inform the administration's innovation policies.
Career Appointment
The Administrator for the Office of Workforce Investment oversees and guides policy on workforce investment systems authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The Administrator collaborates with other federal agencies, partners, and stakeholders to build a prepared and competitive workforce. The Administrator manages investments strategically to ensure high performance, greater public accountability, and service quality. The Administrator is a critical partner in developing a robust, high-skilled workforce, particularly in STEM fields.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Science and Technology Adviser oversees the Department’s primary body for independent science and technology advising. This position anticipates science, technology, and innovation research, development, and discoveries emerging from the high-tech and private sector. They build S&T capacity within the State Department and they engage the S&T enterprise on behalf of the State Department. International S&T collaboration heavily depends on this adviser.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Economic & Business Affairs (EB). EB has historically handled biotechnology issues related to agriculture. EB is well-positioned for leading proactive engagement on setting international technical standards. EB plays an important role in advancing the global digital economy towards a more open, interoperable, and secure internet.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), which is responsible for international energy security. Historically, ENR has handled nonrenewables such as oil and coal, but the office could be a powerful force for promoting sustainable energy practices and the Administration’s climate agenda worldwide if it were to include clean energy options into its portfolio.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs oversees the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, and Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Whoever sits in this position plays a central role in achieving consensus over coordinating emerging technologies’ export controls and START negotiations.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES). The Assistant Secretary leads international leadership on oceans, environment, science, space, and health. The Assistant Secretary represents the Department of State at meetings with commissions and various other groups from nations across the globe, working toward the creation of partnerships, initiatives, agreements, and treaties that will enable sustainable development and economic growth. The Assistant Secretary should seek to maximize OES’ impact and ensure that OES does not duplicate work from other S&T offices within the State Department.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs oversees the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, and Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. These offices have a deep bench of scientific experience. These offices focus on security issues and thus have tight coordination with the Department of Defense, especially on emerging technology issues. Whoever sits in this position plays a central role in achieving consensus over coordinating emerging technologies’ export controls and START negotiations.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Coordinator leads and manages the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with a sizable budget through which a large amount of the Department’s public health engagement is done. The State Department’s engagement with other countries' health systems has often been funded through PEPFAR, and thus this could be an increasingly important office in the COVID response and recovery.
Noncareer Appointment
The Coordinator for Cyber Issues leads diplomatic efforts with foreign counterparts on cyber issues and sets the strategy for international cyber policy. They serve as the State Department’s liaison to the White House and agencies on cyber-related affairs, ensuring that U.S. foreign policy positions on cross-cutting cyber issues are synchronized across the Federal Government. After being vacant during the majority of the Trump Administration, this position might be reimagined in the recently created Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET).
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Secretary of Transportation sets the priorities and direction of the Department; they are the chief representative of the organization to the public, press, Congress; and they manage relationships with the White House. The Secretary leads the Department's efforts on research and development of new transportation technologies, in addition to working with Congress, state representatives, and the President to implement transportation-related policies and initiatives.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
With direction from the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology sets a research agenda and manages research along with the operating administrations. There is an opportunity for the Assistant Secretary to lead efforts to push the Operating Administrations to shift from more traditional research areas such as pavement and bridge structure, to more cutting edge research. There is an opportunity to leverage their bully pulpit to push the Transportation Research Board to also shift to focusing on frontier R&D. The Assistant Secretary could also restructure the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to measure areas more relevant to DOT priorities.
Noncareer Appointment
The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology ensures that research, development, and technology activities across DOT and 40 University Transportation Centers (UTC) are fully aligned with DOT’s areas of interest. The Deputy Assistant Secretary manages DOT’s spectrum interests, including GPS and 5.9 GHz band. The Deputy Assistant Secretary guides the administration’s research and technology priorities related to transportation.
The BTS Director acts as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Transportation on data and statistics on commercial aviation, multimodal freight activity, and transportation economics. The BTS Director leads the agency’s efforts on statistics of movement including aviation and freight.
The Undersecretary for Transportation Policy helps the Secretary set priorities. The Undersecretary for Transportation Policy oversees the Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology as well as several other key offices, such as the policy office, which coordinate the Secretary’s priorities across the Department including automation, connected vehicles, and data.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The FAA Administrator oversees all FAA functions as well as aviation research and development and next generation air traffic control systems. The Administrator also oversees items related to the construction and operation of airports, certification of personnel and aircraft, and the protection of U.S. assets involved in the launch or re-entry of space vehicles.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The OSTP Director covers two science and technology issue areas where they influence decision making on key policies, such as national security, environment, and energy policy. First, the OSTP Director provides advice to the President and key administration officials on S&T priorities and serves a significant coordinating role on agenda-setting across the Federal R&D enterprise (NASA, DOE, NSF, etc.), including the R&D budget, management, and oversight. Second, the OSTP Director manages the NSTC and co-chairs PCAST. Third, the OSTP Director coordinates communication activities during disasters, and represents the U.S. at international S&T policy-related meetings. Lastly, the OSTP Director serves as a two-way communication conduit between the EOP and the federal and non-federal S&T community. The OSTP Director can use their role as a “bully pulpit” to encourage federal agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and others in the S&T community to align with the Executive Branch’s S&T agenda.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff supports the OSTP Director in articulating, implementing and executing on their strategic priorities. They manage the organization’s staff and participate in a wide range of policy making functions in support of the director. To be effective, the Chief of Staff needs to have management and operational experience, be familiar with the science and technology policy ecosystem, and be well-networked across the science community.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Chief Technology Officer is a policy role defined by the individual that assumes it. Distinct from OMB’s Chief Information Officer, the CTO position has been seen primarily as an outward-reaching position whose priority responsibilities are leveraging not only information technology, but technological innovation to bridge the digital divide and address the major societal challenges that the country faces, such as job creation, health care, and national security. Furthermore, the CTO works closely with others both across and outside government to upgrade government technological capability. The CTO needs to be someone who is a technologist and can draw on their unique perspective to inform the policy priorities of the next administration.
Noncareer Appointment
The Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation leads a team of policy entrepreneurs who work to identify, design, launch, and sustain science, technology, and innovation initiatives. The Deputy Director generates or identifies new ideas, evaluates policy options, ensures implementation of initiatives, and monitors the effectiveness of the President’s policies and initiatives in technology and innovation. In this role, the Deputy Director needs to be a coalition-builder in order to carry forward initiatives as well as a serial policy entrepreneur, who can balance new ventures against the dynamics of the White House.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Associate Director for Science helps to advise the President and the OSTP Director on the implications of scientific developments on public policy and on federal efforts in support of scientific research. The Associate Director’s responsibilities include overseeing national and international science and education policy development and federal agency program coordination for physical sciences, life sciences, environmental science, behavioral and social sciences, and education.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Associate Director for Environment is well-positioned to coordinate the Federal Government’s activities in order to address the impacts of climate change, to promote sustainable development, to foster new and cleaner sources of energy, to enable Earth and space sciences, and to build the nation’s disaster resilience. They manage the environment, natural resources, and Earth and space science research and development portfolio across the Federal Government, while integrating their activities with non-governmental, academic, private sector, and international partners. Past directors have overseen the National Ocean Council, U.S. Global Change Research Program, and interagency committees on earth observation, air and water quality, disaster risk reduction, space weather, ecological services, toxins, the Arctic, ocean science, and technology.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs ensures that credible science advice informs the national security policy apparatus of the Federal Government, covering intersecting S&T priorities such as R&D, cybersecurity, space, and biosecurity. The Associate Director is also co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Homeland and National Security (CHNS). In order to be effective in this role, the Associate Director needs to be knowledgeable in a wide range of scientific enterprises.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief Data Scientist provides a vision on how to provide a maximum social return on federal data and create nationwide data policies that enable shared services and forward-leaning practices to advance our nation's leadership in the data age. The Chief Data Scientist works with federal agencies to establish best practices for data management and ensure the long-term sustainability of databases. They are also responsible for recruiting and retaining talent in data science for public service, who can tackle data science objectives and act as conduits among the government, academia, and industry. As part of the CTO team, the Chief Data Scientist also works closely with colleagues across government, including the Chief Information Officer and the U.S. Digital Service.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Director for Social and Behavioral Sciences leads a range of executive branch activities and interagency policy initiatives relating to the social, behavioral, and neurological sciences. For example, past Assistant Directors identified policy options for improving clinical treatments for brain injuries, applying new insights into cognition and learning to the domains of education and learning, and lastly accelerating the development of therapies for neurological diseases.
Noncareer Appointment
The person in this role has two main responsibilities: (1) directs communications, public affairs and strategy for White House S&T priorities and initiatives; (2) oversees media relations, helps shape policy priorities, and leads the development of presidential and executive briefing materials for the Director and CTO. There is an opportunity for Communications Director to significantly advance science engagement and the science community to underscore scientific evidence and scientific decision-making to build trust around the Federal Government's S&T agenda.
Noncareer Appointment
The Earth Observations Director supports the OSTP Director on all aspects of civil Earth observation policy and planning, and advanced related national goals and objectives. The Director oversees the activities of multiple interagency coordination groups supporting systems assessment, data management, satellite data needs, and international collaboration.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief of Staff directly supports the FCC Chair in managing priorities and plays a major coordinating and strategic role. With the trust of the FCC Chair, the Chief of Staff heavily influences the strategy and policy development of critical S&T issues such as Section 230 reform, spectrum management, 5G rollout, and closing the homework gap.
Career Appointment
The CTO serves as the senior technological adviser at the FCC, providing technical support to the Chairman, Commissioners, FCC Bureaus, and Offices. They advise and participate in proceedings on spectrum management, emerging technologies and technical standards. The CTO leads and conducts engineering and technical analysis, testing equipment to determine its interference risks and technical operating parameters, while developing projects to gather theoretical and experimental data on new technologies. The CTO often coordinates with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Past CTOs have spearheaded initiatives on Open Internet, robocalls and public safety issues. The CTO needs to be a technologist with broad research experience, who can effectively promote 5G services, rural network buildouts, and other network enhancements.
Career Appointment
The OET Chief oversees the FCC’s Policy and Rules Division, Electromagnetic Compatibility Division, and Laboratory Division and manages spectrum and leadership for competitive technologies and services. The OET Chief drives innovation within the FCC through managing the Experimental Licensing program and the Equipment Authorization program, which develops technical regulations for the operation of unlicensed devices. The OET Chief provides the technical knowledge to guide the FCC in decisions about requirements for networks, such as net neutrality. The OET Chief also plays a significant role in convening the Technological Advisory Council for experts’ advice on technology developments.
Career Appointment
The Deputy OET Chief supports the OET Chief, providing technical support to the Chairman, Commissioners, FCC Bureaus, and Offices. The OET Deputy Chief advises and participates in proceedings on spectrum management, emerging technologies and technical standards. The OET Deputy Chief influences innovation within the FCC because they manage the Experimental Licensing program and the Equipment Authorization program, which develops technical regulations for the operation of unlicensed devices.
Schedule C Appointment
The Chief Technologist serves as the Chairman’s principal source of evolving technology, privacy, and data security issues. The Chief Technologist seeks to innovate the FTC’s use of technology, examine the technical aspects of law enforcement actions, and make technology policy recommendations to the FTC.
Career Appointment
The CIO leads the FTC’s Data Governance Board as the Chief Data Officer. Furthermore, the CIO manages policies related to information technology (IT) investments that comply with federal laws, secure integrated end-to-end agency IT, and implement modernization efforts via internet-based technologies. Data governance standards at the FTC are likely to serve as a model for other, less-technically inclined agencies, especially considering the volume of data processed through FTC.
Career Appointment
The Director oversees the Technology and Enforcement Division’s efforts to monitor competition and investigate potentially anticompetitive digital technology markets, such as online platforms, digital advertising, social networking, software, operating systems, and streaming services. The Director ensures that companies are operating pursuant to antitrust laws. Lastly, the Director works with other Commission staff, including technologists, to develop a deep understanding of some unique features of complex, dynamic digital markets.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The NASA Administrator serves as the senior space science advisor to the President. The Administrator also leads NASA and manages its resources to advance the vision for space exploration. NASA Administrators have a long, storied history in the development of US space policy. The Administrator will need to be a strong leader in order to lead the 17,000 civil servants at NASA.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Deputy Administrator serves as the agency’s second-in-command and is responsible for providing overall leadership, planning, and policy direction for the agency. The Deputy Administrator performs duties and exercises powers delegated by the Administrator. Additionally, the Deputy acts in the Administrator’s absence to govern NASA operations.
Schedule C Excepted Appointment
The Chief of Staff is the advisor to the Administrator and responsible for operational management, as well as the communication of the President’s space policy agenda. The Chief of Staff is the primary liaison for day-to-day policy coordination with the White House, Congress, and other agencies.
Presidential Appointment
The Chief Scientist is the most senior science position at NASA, serving as the principal scientific advisor to the NASA Administrator on science agency science programs, strategic planning, science policy, and the evaluation of related investments. They represent NASA's strategic science objectives and contributions to the national and international science communities. Lastly, they ensure that NASA research programs are scientifically and technologically aligned with policy decisions.
Career Appointment
The Associate Administrator guides the strategic direction of NASA’s aeronautical research for applications to commercial, military, and general aviation sectors. The research portfolio includes quiet supersonic flight over land, urban air mobility, and autonomy, among other endeavors.
Career Appointment
The Associate Administrator leads the Agency’s effort on operations related to human exploration in and beyond low-Earth orbit. The Associate Administrator is primarily tasked with the management of Commercial Space Transportation, Human Space Flight Capabilities, and other items. The Associate Administrator oversees low-level requirements, development, policy, and programmatic oversight, including engagement at the International Space Station.
Career Appointment
The Associate Administrator leads the Agency effort to seek new knowledge and understanding of Earth, the Sun and solar system, and the universe. The Directorate engages external and internal science communities to define and prioritize science questions and seeks to expand the frontiers of five broad scientific pursuits: Earth Science, Planetary Science, Biological and Physical Sciences, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics.
Career Appointment
The Associate Administrator provides executive leadership and management of the technology programs with a value of $1.1 billion. They oversee the Agency effort to develop transformative space technologies for future missions, including testing capabilities for the Moon and Mars. The Associate Administrator manages engagement with entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators.
Career Appointment
The Associate Administrator for Stem Engagement oversees strategic direction and leadership of NASA’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement function, which attracts and supports the involvement of students in the realization of NASA’s unique missions. The Associate Administrator leads work on engaging America’s educators, students and institutions in NASA’s missions, contributing to mission success, as well as the nation’s overall STEM education ecosystem.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The NSF Director works with groups and entities within and beyond NSF to shape directions for fundamental research in US science and engineering. This requires advocating for funding; ensuring the recruitment, development, and coordination of persons qualified to advance the enterprise; and fostering communications with Congressional committees and units in the Executive Branch. Additionally, the Director leads and convenes intergovernmental science research bodies (e.g., National Science and Technology Council), as well as international ones. The Director plays an especially important role in setting the direction for science and engineering research and development, which the White House will promote.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Deputy Director manages the internal affairs of the agency. This involves reviewing organizational arrangements with the Director and senior staff, to assess their responsiveness to contemporary conditions. The Deputy Director conducts periodic evaluations of the Assistant Directors and the heads of units within the Office of the Director. The Director maintains connections with the Office of the Inspector General, to safeguard the resources the nation entrusts to the Foundation. This Senate-approved position has not been filled since 2013, and the functions of this position have been undertaken by the Chief Operating Officer.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Director of CISE (CISE AD) leads NSF’s efforts in tackling technological challenges, including scaling big data, advancing artificial intelligence, and making quantum computing a reality. The CISE AD also spends a considerable amount of time in interagency collaboration, traditionally co-chairing the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), as well as the NSTC subcommittees on Machine Learning and AI (NSTC/MLAI) and Open Science (NSTC/SOC). A significant amount of the 10 research areas prioritized in NSF’s Endless Frontier agenda are housed within CISE.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Director for Engineering accelerates collaborations across industry, business, and academia to foster US innovation. The Assistant Director has to balance the numerous disciplines of engineering (civil, mechanical, biomedical, environmental, and more) that are not necessarily cohesive. The Assistant Director needs to be someone who can effectively partner with the diversity of engineering communities and stakeholders to facilitate innovation.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Director for Biological Sciences oversees human, financial, and other resources required for advancing fundamental research in the biological sciences, which entails support primarily within the non-medical arena. To enhance coordination with the work underway in related agencies, this AD engages in collaborations with the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy—as well as public and private bodies in other nations.
Career Appointment
The Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources attends to research, policy and practices across the educational spectrum—from pre-college through graduate education. The discipline-based Directorates sponsor education initiatives within their own spheres, with EHR leading activities that transcend those spheres.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) manages a budget of approximately $1.5B—by far the biggest budget of the directorates—and a portfolio consisting of a broad range of the mathematical and physical sciences. The division needs to closely interact with the Department of Energy in particular, where 50-60% of federally-funded physics research occurs. There are close ties to NASA as well. The AD not only promotes inquiry in the physical sciences but attends to the infrastructure that the fundamental work might require, as most infrastructure resides under MPS (LIGO, CERN, VLA, etc.). Lastly, the AD has to have a high international presence because of all the international collaboration involved with the aforementioned research facilities.
Career Appointment
The Research Security Chief is tasked with providing the NSF director with policy advice on all aspects of research security strategy. They will also lead NSF’s efforts to develop and implement strategies to improve research security and the agency’s coordination with other federal agencies and the White House. Lastly, they lead efforts to address threats to openness and transparency of research and its results and will substantively engage with the research community, intelligence agencies, oversight committees and law enforcement—this critically important position is one of the few within NSF that have TS/SCI clearance. It’s important for the Research Security Chief to bring academic perspective to national security policy (e.g., immigration).
Career Appointment
The Chief Officer for Research Facilities (CORF) advises the NSF director on all aspects of the agency's support for major and mid-scale research facilities throughout their lifecycle, such as NEON, NSO, and LIGO. Research infrastructure plays a critical role in science and engineering and the CORF is uniquely positioned to command oversight of the development, construction, and operations of major multiuser research facilities across NSF—from concept to construction and operation. Lastly, the position requires responsiveness to the scientific community and accountability to the public and its elected representatives.
Career Appointment
The COVID-19 pandemic has proved that science communication to the public, legislators, and other stakeholders are more crucial than ever. The Head of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs will have to focus on moving beyond the NSF press release and undertake a more proactive stance to educate and communicate to the public and Congress about NSF’s existence and the different types of work that it supports, in order to achieve better outcomes and restore faith in science. On the Hill, greater awareness of NSF’s critical role would improve communication with congressional staffers and increase representation on the Hill. Lastly, the person in this role should have a diverse communication strategy that reflects the diversity of audiences that NSF engages with. The Head of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs can influence not only what takes place within NSF but also the outcomes more generally for the fields on which it centers. An understanding of political and public perspectives derived from research the agency has funded is available to the Office Head.
Career Appointment
The Head of OISE coordinates the agency’s international strategy and manages internationally-focused programs that further U.S. strategic research interests. They facilitate and expand international science cooperation between U.S. experts and their foreign counterparts across the globe, leading NSF’s efforts to transform the way that it identifies and funds cooperative research. The expansion of science and engineering around the globe makes it essential that NSF attend systematically to International Science and Engineering.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Administrator is responsible for enforcing the nation’s Clean Air and Clean Water Acts along with other environmental statutes. The Administrator creates strategic direction for the EPA and oversees the entire agency, including environmental assessment, research, and education and other programmatic efforts. The Administrator makes enforcement decisions related to fines, sanctions, and other measures. While the Administrator is not a Cabinet Secretary, the Administrator typically consults the President on environmental policy.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation develops national programs, policies, and regulations for controlling air pollution and radiation exposure. They are responsible for guiding agency activities to administering the Clean Air Act, the Atomic Energy Act, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act, and other applicable environmental laws. This is a key position for a successful environmental policy agenda, in both developing environmental regulation to counteract air pollution and radiation exposure as well as enforcing or administering environmental policy.
Noncareer Appointment
The Assistant Administrator for Research and Development leads the research efforts at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the results of which are vital for effective regulation and for greater understanding of our environment. This position has also traditionally been the "Chief Scientist" at EPA. The environmental monitoring and assessments, global climate change program and risk assessments have never been more important. Furthermore, they lead the EPA's STAR program, which supports research at universities and helps to build national environmental research capacity. This position was never filled by the Trump Administration. EPA is and will continue to be one of the most important agencies to address the existential threat of our time: climate change. It must have credible, thoughtful, and effective S&T leadership that is independent of any particular medium.
Career Appointment
The OAQPS Director leads federal efforts to preserve and improve U.S. air quality. Furthermore, they compile and review air pollution data, develop regulations to limit and reduce air pollution, assist states and local agencies with monitoring and controlling air pollution, make information about air pollution available to the public, and report to Congress on the status quo of air pollution. They are key to the environmental policy agenda, namely addressing the effects of air pollution.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
OCSPP’s Assistant Administrator oversees the execution of the mission of the Office to protect people and the environment from pollution by using scientific evidence and risk assessment. The Assistant Administrator oversees the Office’s implementation of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and Pollution Prevention Act, among other laws. The Assistant Administrator determines and executes on the Office’s decisions related to food, agriculture, and natural land management, while dealing with political pressures that come from pushing environmental compliance.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The OMB Director assists the President in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget and to supervise its administration in Executive Branch agencies. The Director plays a key role in S&T agenda-setting because they wield a great deal of influence over agency budget requests and the final shape of the President’s budget, along with the performance assessment.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The CPO leads the OMB "SWAT team" dedicated to working with agencies to improve results for federal programs and eliminate waste and inefficiency. The CPO works with federal agencies to set tough performance targets and hold managers responsible for progress. The CPO needs to be someone who understands the complexity of federal government programs, has significant experience in federal programs, can navigate the bureaucracy, and fix hard problems. This role has been historically merged with that of Deputy Director for Management, who develops and executes a government-wide management agenda that includes information technology, financial management, procurement, performance, and human resources.
Presidential Appointment
The U.S CIO oversees federal technology spending, federal IT policy, and strategic planning of all federal IT investments. The CIO is charged with establishing a government-wide enterprise architecture that ensures system interoperability, information sharing, and maintains effective information security and privacy controls across the Federal Government. An effective CIO needs to be well-versed in cloud technologies, data analytics, data governance, IT modernization and cybersecurity in order to serve as a point of stability and consistent direction for CIO organizations across the government.
Noncareer Appointment
The Associate Director for National Security Programs oversees all funding for defense, intelligence, international affairs, and veterans’ programs across the federal government. They oversee the preparation of a $1 trillion federal budget for the DoD, DOE’s nuclear programs, State, VA, USAID, and the Intelligence Community—and defend it before Congress. They also represent OMB on the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee, the "engine room" for the national security policymaking process for the Federal Government. The AD needs to be well-versed in the federal national security apparatus and needs to be entrepreneurial enough to advocate and advance large budget proposals to Congress.
Noncareer Appointment
The Associate Director for Natural Resources supports development and execution of the President’s economic and environmental policy, and leads a team of experts overseeing a wide array of policy, budget, and management issues—including issues related to energy, agriculture, infrastructure, conservation, and technology—across a nearly $100 billion portfolio. On these issues, the Associate Director coordinates with key science agencies such DOE, USDA, DOI, EPA, NASA, NSF and other agencies—an important role with climate as a strong priority for the incoming administration.
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation
The Administrator leads OIRA, which oversees the development and implementation of regulations and information policy for all federal agencies. OIRA is charged with coordinating with federal agencies to ensure their rules align with White House priorities. It also conducts legal and economic analyses of major regulations—weighing the costs to businesses against the benefits to the public—and provides a final sign-off before they can be released. For example, the OIRA Administrator can play an influential role in setting environmental and health policy through regulation. OIRA is well-positioned to take on an expanded role to swiftly advance urgent regulations tied to pandemic recovery.
Noncareer Appointment
The Chief Statistician is charged with providing coordination, guidance, and oversight for U.S. federal statistical agencies and activities. The Chief Statistician heads the Statistical Policy Branch of the OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The Chief Statistician does the following:
Coordinates, through the review of budget proposals and otherwise, the statistical functions of the Federal Government with respect to gathering, interpreting, and disseminating statistics and statistical information that are carried out in more than 100 agencies.
Ensures that the Federal Statistics System (FSS) is positioned to meet the increasing demand for more timely information.
Evaluates statistical program performance and agency compliance with government-wide policies, principles, standards, and guidelines.
Represents the U.S. as a member of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the OECD Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy, and similar international statistical bodies; ensures participation by U.S. technical experts on working parties developing international statistical standards; and coordinates U.S reporting of data to international organizations.
The Chief Statistician position has been vacant since December 2019 and the impact of this vacancy has been felt throughout the FSS, highlighting the importance of this role and how essential it is to the functioning of the FSS. Official federal statistics have been called into question, without reason, frequently over the past four years and ensuring this role is fulfilled with a highly qualified candidate will go a long way to helping restore faith to the FSS and the numbers that are put out by all of the federal agencies.