Indian-American nominated as Top Science Advisor by US President

CHENNAI: In an effort to further science, technology, and innovation, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Indian American engineer and applied physicist Dr. Arati Prabhakar as the new science adviser for the White House.

The White House issued a statement which said, "Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Arati Prabhakar to serve as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and once confirmed to this position, also as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. In this capacity, Dr. Prabhakar will be the President's Chief Advisor for Science and Technology, a co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and a member of the President's Cabinet."

The US President further described Dr Prabhakar was a brilliant and highly respected engineer and applied physicist. He said, “Indian Americans will lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy to leverage science, technology, and innovation to expand our possibilities, solve our toughest challenges, and make the impossible possible,".

President Joe Biden added, "I share Dr Prabhakar's belief that America has the most powerful innovation machine the world has ever seen. As the Senate considers her nomination, I am grateful that Dr. Alondra Nelson will continue to lead OSTP and Dr Francis Collins will continue to serve as my acting Science Advisor."

Dr. Arati Prabhakar is the first woman to manage the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate to do so.

At the California Institute of Technology, where she previously received an MS in electrical engineering, Dr. Arati Prabhakar became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in applied physics. As a Congressional Fellow at the Office of Technology Assessment, she began her career in the legislative branch.

Her family came from India to the United States when she was three years old, first landing in Chicago and then settling in Lubbock, Texas, where she earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Prabhakar is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a former fellow at Stanford University's Centre for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences. She was also the director of Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the organisation responsible for the invention of ground-breaking innovations like the Internet and stealth aircraft.