Biden nominates Indian-American Dr Arati Prabhakar as prime science advisor | World News

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Indian-American scientist Dr Arati Prabhakar as Director of the Workplace of Science and Expertise Coverage (OSTP).

If confirmed by the Senate, Dr Prabhakar would make historical past as the primary lady, immigrant, or particular person of color to go OSTP.

“Dr Prabhakar is an excellent and highly-respected engineer and utilized physicist and can lead the Workplace of Science and Expertise Coverage to leverage science, know-how, and innovation to increase our potentialities, resolve our hardest challenges, and make the not possible attainable,” stated Biden.

“I share Dr Prabhakar’s perception that America has probably the most highly effective innovation machine the world has ever seen. Because the Senate considers her nomination, I'm grateful that Dr Alondra Nelson will proceed to steer OSTP and Dr. Francis Collins will proceed to function my appearing Science Advisor,” he stated.

As soon as confirmed she would even be Assistant to the President for Science and Expertise. On this capability, Dr Prabhakar would be the President’s Chief Advisor for Science and Expertise, a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Expertise, and a member of the President’s Cupboard.

Additional if confirmed to steer OSTP, Prabhakar would change into the third Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander to serve in President Biden’s Cupboard, becoming a member of Vice President Kamala Harris and US Commerce Consultant Katherine Tai.

“Right this moment’s nomination is historic, with Prabhakar being the primary lady, immigrant, or particular person of color nominated to function Senate-confirmed director of OSTP,” the White Home stated.

Prabhakar has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate earlier than, to steer the Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Expertise (NIST), and was the primary lady to carry that position. She later served as director of the Protection Superior Analysis Initiatives Company (DARPA), the birthplace of breakthrough applied sciences like stealth plane and the Web.

Indian Individuals have welcomed the nomination.

"Indian American Impression is thrilled to study that President Biden intends to appoint Dr Arati Prabhakar as Director of the Workplace of Science and Expertise Coverage (OSTP). We applaud the President for his historic choice, which uplifts not solely the exceptionally certified Dr Prabhakar, however all South Asians and Asian Individuals who aspire to achieve new heights and change into leaders inside public service and the scientific group,” stated Neil Makhija from the Indian American Impression Fund.

“It’s unbelievable to see the President nominate Dr Prabhakar to be the primary lady, first particular person of color, and the primary immigrant to steer OSTP as we observe Immigrant Heritage Month this June,” stated Varun Nikore, govt director of AAPI Victory Alliance.

Up to now, Dr. Prabhakar has led two completely different federal R&D companies and labored with startups, giant corporations, universities, authorities labs, and nonprofits throughout all kinds of sectors to create highly effective new options for important challenges. She is an engineer and utilized physicist with in depth administration and management credentials.

Prabhakar served as director of DARPA from 2012 to 2017. At DARPA, she oversaw groups that prototyped a system for detecting nuclear and radiological supplies earlier than a terrorist can construct a bomb, that developed instruments to search out human trafficking networks within the deep and darkish internet, and that enabled complicated navy methods to work collectively even once they weren't initially designed to take action. She additionally established a brand new workplace to spur novel biotechnologies, the White Home stated.

Below her management, DARPA kick-started the event of a rapid-response mRNA vaccine platform, making attainable the quickest protected and efficient vaccine improvement in world historical past in response to COVID-19, it stated.

Prabhakar was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate to steer the Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Expertise (NIST), taking the helm at age 34 as the primary lady to steer the company, the White Home stated.

Prabhakar’s household immigrated from India to the USA when she was three years outdated – first to Chicago after which settling when she was age 10 in Lubbock, Texas, the place she went on to get her electrical engineering diploma from Texas Tech College.

She was the primary lady to earn a PhD in utilized physics from the California Institute of Expertise, the place she additionally earned an MS in electrical engineering. She began her profession within the legislative department as a Congressional Fellow on the Workplace of Expertise Evaluation.

She is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the Nationwide Academy of Engineering, and was a fellow on the Heart for Superior Examine within the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford College.