The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 11, 1976 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Headquarters | Eisenhower Executive Office Building 725 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Employees | 130 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Executive Office of the President |
| Website | WhiteHouse.gov/OSTP |
The director of this office is traditionally colloquially known as the Science Advisor to the President. A recent appointed director was mathematician and geneticist Eric Lander who was sworn in on June 2, 2021.[1] Lander resigned February 18, 2022, following allegations of misconduct.[2]
On February 16, 2022, the Biden administration announced that deputy director Alondra Nelson would serve as acting director and former NIH director Francis Collins would serve as acting science advisor. Both assumed positions on February 18, 2022. In October 2022, Arati Prabhakar became Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.[3][4]
On August 25, 2022, OSTP issued guidance to make all federally funded research in the United States freely available without delay.[5][6]
History
20th century
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President Richard M. Nixon eliminated the President's Science Advisory Committee after his second Science Advisor, Edward E. David Jr., resigned in 1973, rather than appointing a replacement. In 1975, the American Physical Society president Chien-Shiung Wu met with the new president Gerald Ford to reinstate a scientific body of advisors for the executive branch and the president, which President Ford concurred to do.[7] The United States Congress then established the OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts to develop and to implement sound science and technology policies and budgets and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.
21st century
Under President Donald Trump, OSTP's staff dropped from 135 to 45 people.[8] The OSTP director position remained vacant for over two years, the longest vacancy for the position since the office's founding.[9][10][11] Kelvin Droegemeier, an atmospheric scientist who previously served as the vice president of research at the University of Oklahoma, was nominated for the position on August 1, 2018[12] and confirmed by the Senate on January 2, 2019.
Michael Kratsios was nominated by President Trump to be the fourth Chief Technology Officer of the United States and associate director of OSTP in March 2019[13] and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2019.[14] During Trump's tenure, Droegemeier also managed the National Science and Technology Council.
President Joe Biden named, and the Senate later unanimously confirmed,[15] Eric Lander as head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which is a cabinet-level post.[16] Lander resigned in February 2022 following reports that engaged in abusive conduct against both subordinates and other White House officials.[17]
In 2022, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy held a roundtable discussion with some of the nation’s leading scientists to discuss the need to combat the climate crisis and counter arguments for delaying climate action. It is the first time that the White House has recognized scientists who study the climate denial operation run by the fossil fuel industry.[18]
On August 8, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act which included a provision to create a blockchain and cryptocurrency specialist advisory position under the OSTP to be established and appointed by the Director.[19]
Staff
Key positions vary among administrations and are not always published online.[20] Current deputy directors are listed alphabetically by portfolio and do not indicate an order of rank.[21][22][23]
- Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy: Arati Prabhakar
- Chief of Staff: Asad Ramzanali[24]
- Principal Deputy Director for Policy: Kei Koizumi
- Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director for Health Outcomes: Danielle Carnival
- Deputy Director for Science and Society: Kei Koizumi (Acting)[citation needed]
- Deputy Director for Climate and Environment: Jane Lubchenco
- Deputy Director for National Security: Stephen Welby
- Deputy Director for Industrial Innovation: Justina Gallegos
- Principal Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States: Deirdre Mulligan
Directors
List of OSTP directors.[25]
| Image | Name | Start | End | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Guyford Stever | August 9, 1976 | January 20, 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
 | Frank Press | January 20, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
 | Benjamin Huberman Acting | March 5, 1981 | August 1981 | Ronald Reagan | |
 | Jay Keyworth | August 1981 | December 1985 | ||
| | John McTague Acting | January 1986 | May 23, 1986 | ||
| | Richard Johnson Acting | May 24, 1986 | October 1, 1986 | ||
 | William Graham | October 2, 1986 | June 1989 | ||
| | Thomas Rona Acting | June 1989 | August 1989 | George H. W. Bush | |
| | William Wells Acting | August 1989 | August 1989 | ||
 | Allan Bromley | August 1989 | January 20, 1993 | ||
.jpg) | Jack Gibbons | January 20, 1993 | April 3, 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
 | Kerri-Ann Jones Acting | April 4, 1998 | August 3, 1998 | ||
 | Neal Lane | August 4, 1998 | January 20, 2001 | ||
 | Rosina Bierbaum Acting | January 21, 2001 | September 30, 2001 | George W. Bush | |
| | Clifford Gabriel Acting | October 1, 2001 | October 28, 2001 | ||
 | Jack Marburger | October 29, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | ||
| | Ted Wackler Acting | January 20, 2009 | March 19, 2009 | Barack Obama | |
 | John Holdren | March 19, 2009 | January 20, 2017 | ||
| | Ted Wackler Acting | January 20, 2017 | January 11, 2019 | Donald Trump | |
 | Kelvin Droegemeier | January 11, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | ||
.jpg) | Kei Koizumi Acting | January 20, 2021 | June 2, 2021 | Joe Biden | |
 | Eric Lander | June 2, 2021 | February 18, 2022 | ||
.jpg) | Alondra Nelson Acting[26] | February 18, 2022 | October 3, 2022 | ||
 | Arati Prabhakar[4] | October 3, 2022 | present | ||