Office of Science and Technology Policy

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Office of Science and Technology Policy
US-OfficeOfScienceAndTechnologyPolicy-Seal.svg
Agency overview
FormedMay 11, 1976;50 years ago (1976-05-11)
Headquarters
Employees150
Agency executive
Parent agency
 Executive Office of the President
Website WhiteHouse.gov/OSTP

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a division of the White House Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with the mandate to advise the president on science and technology on domestic and international affairs.

Contents

The OSTP Director is colloquially known as the "science advisor to the president," and this role was elevated to a Cabinet position by President Joe Biden (Eric Lander was the first to hold this dual role). [1] The Director is also responsible for leading the National Science and Technology Council. [2] This role is also known as the "science and tech czar" in the White House. [3]

History

20th century

President Ford signing H.R. 10230, establishing the Office of Science and Technology Policy Gerald Ford A9732 (1976-05-11) A.jpg
President Ford signing H.R. 10230, establishing the Office of Science and Technology Policy

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 discuss efforts to reinstate a scientific body of advisors for the executive branch and the president. President Ford supported the effort. [4] 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

Second Obama Administration

On 17 October 2014 the OSTP halted funding for gain of function research (GOFR). [5] [6]

First Trump administration

Under President Donald Trump, OSTP's staff dropped from 135 to 45 people by November 2017. [7] In December 2017 the OSTP ban on GOFR was replaced by an expert-driven “US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) framework for guiding funding decisions about proposed research involving pathogens that have enhanced potential for creating pandemics.” [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]

Biden administration

President Joe Biden named, and the Senate later unanimously confirmed, [15] Eric Lander as head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, while also upgrading the position to 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, OSTP 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 25, 2022, OSTP issued guidance to make all federally funded research in the United States freely available without delay. [19] [20]

Directors

Michael Kratsios is the current Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, appointed by the Trump Administration on March 25, 2025. [21] [22]

During the Biden Administration, the OSTP Director role was elevated to the cabinet. [23]

Mathematician and geneticist Eric Lander was sworn in as Director on June 2, 2021, [24] and later resigned on February 18, 2022, following allegations of misconduct. [25] In February 2022, deputy director Alondra Nelson was appointed acting director, while former National Institutes of Health (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. [26] [27]

List of OSTP directors. [28]

  Denotes acting capacity.
No.ImageNameStartEndRef.President
1 Guyford Stever.jpg Guyford Stever August 9, 1976January 20, 1977 Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
2 Frank Press at Seismological Observatory in Jerusalem 1953 (cropped).jpg Frank Press January 20, 1977January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
– No image.svg Benjamin Huberman
Acting		March 5, 1981August 1981 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
3 George A. Keyworth, II 1981, 4.jpg Jay Keyworth August 1981December 1985
– No image.svg John McTague
Acting		January 1986May 23, 1986
– No image.svg Richard Johnson
Acting		May 24, 1986October 1, 1986
4 William Robert Graham, NASA photo portrait, November 1985.jpg William Graham October 2, 1986June 1989
– No image.svg Thomas Rona
Acting		June 1989August 1989 George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
– WilliamGWellsJr.jpg William Wells
Acting		August 1989August 1989
5 D. Allen Bromley (cropped).jpg Allan Bromley August 1989January 20, 1993
6 Dr Gibbons USDA (cropped).jpg Jack Gibbons January 20, 1993April 3, 1998 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
– Kerri-Ann Jones.jpg Kerri-Ann Jones
Acting		April 4, 1998August 3, 1998
7 Neal-lane.jpg Neal Lane August 4, 1998January 20, 2001
– Dean Rosina M. Bierbaum.jpg Rosina Bierbaum
Acting		January 21, 2001September 30, 2001 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
– No image.svg Clifford Gabriel
Acting		October 1, 2001October 28, 2001
8 John Marburger official portrait.jpg Jack Marburger October 29, 2001January 20, 2009
9 John Holdren official portrait small.jpg John Holdren March 19, 2009January 20, 2017 [29] Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
– No image.svg Ted Wackler
Acting		January 20, 2017January 11, 2019 [30] Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
10 Kelvin Droegemeier official photo.jpg Kelvin Droegemeier January 11, 2019January 20, 2021 [31]
11 Eric Lander July 2021.jpg Eric Lander June 2, 2021February 18, 2022 [32] [33] Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
– Alondra Nelson, OSTP Deputy Director (cropped).jpg Alondra Nelson
Acting		February 18, 2022October 3, 2022 [34]
12 Arati Prabhakar, OSTP Director.jpg Arati Prabhakar October 3, 2022January 20, 2025 [27]
– Michael Kratsios official photo.jpg Michael Kratsios January 20, 2025March 25, 2025 [35] Donald Trump
(2025–present)
13March 25, 2025present [36]

OSTP Deputy Directors / Deputy "National Science Advisor to the President"

Key executive positions have varied among administrations. [37] These executives manage OSTP divisions and are Deputies to the Director / National Science Advisor, informally known as "Deputy National Science and Technology Advisor" to the President, or "Deputy Science Czar."

Biden administration (2021-2024)

The Biden-era OSTP relied on Deputy Directors to lead each OSTP division, [38] which was seen as an expansion or "elevation" of the national role of science and technology by President Biden after elevating the office to the Cabinet level following the COVID-19 Pandemic. [39] [40] [41]

Obama administration (2008-2016)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biden Names Science Team; Eric Lander as Science Advisor; Elevates Position to Cabinet-level". CRN. February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ "National Science and Technology Council". The White House. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Trump's next AI czar: Who's in the running for the White House post". September 27, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  4. ↑ Chiang, Tsai-Chien (January 2013). Madame Wu Chien-shiung: The First Lady Of Physics Research. World Scientific. pp. 184–185. ISBN   9789814579131.
  5. ↑ "News Scan for Oct 17, 2014 | CIDRAP". www.cidrap.umn.edu. October 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ Palmer, Megan J.; Fukuyama, Francis; Relman, David A. (December 18, 2015). "A more systematic approach to biological risk" . Science. 350 (6267). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 1471–1473. doi:10.1126/science.aad8849 – via science.org (Atypon).
  7. ↑ Alemany, Jacqueline (November 21, 2017). "Donald Trump's science office is a ghost town". CBS.
  8. ↑ "Feds lift gain-of-function research pause, offer guidance | CIDRAP". www.cidrap.umn.edu. December 19, 2017.
  9. ↑ Morello, Lauren (October 24, 2017). "Wait for Trump's science adviser breaks modern-era record". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22878.
  10. ↑ Aldhouse, Peter (January 18, 2017). "Trump's war on science isn't what you think". CBS.
  11. ↑ Reardon, Sara; Witze, Alexandra (July 31, 2018). "The wait is over: Trump taps meteorologist as White House science adviser". Nature. 560 (7717): 150–151. Bibcode:2018Natur.560..150R. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-05862-y. PMID   30087470.
  12. ↑ Irfan, Umair (August 1, 2018). "Trump finally picked a science adviser. He's a meteorologist. Named Kelvin". Vox.
  13. ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to a Key Administration Post". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved August 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  14. ↑ Chappellet-Lanier, Tajha (August 1, 2019). "Michael Kratsios confirmed as US CTO". Fedscoop. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Eric Lander Confirmed for Top White House Science Post | Inside Higher Ed". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Biden elevates science post to level". msn.com. Yahoo News. AFP. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  17. ↑ "White House science adviser resigns after probe found he bullied staffers". February 7, 2022.
  18. ↑ Joselow, Maxine (February 24, 2022). "White House science office to hold first event on countering climate change denial and delay". The Washington Post .
  19. ↑ "OSTP Issues Guidance to Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay | OSTP". The White House. August 25, 2022.
  20. ↑ Patel, Vimal (August 26, 2022). "White House Pushes Journals to Drop Paywalls on Publicly Funded Research". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  21. ↑ Alder, Madison (March 25, 2025). "Senate confirms Michael Kratsios to lead White House science, technology office" . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  22. ↑ "President-Elect Trump Names OSTP Director and Other High Level Science & Tech Policy Staff". CRN. January 2, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Biden taps Eric Lander and Maria Zuber for senior science posts". MIT EAPS. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "White House science advisor Eric Lander sworn in on Pirkei Avot published in 1492". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  25. ↑ Thompson, Alex. "'I am deeply sorry for my conduct': Biden's top science adviser apologizes to staff". POLITICO. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  26. ↑ "White House unveils 'AI bill of rights' as 'call to action' to rein in tool". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  27. 1 2 "Senate Confirms Prabhakar to Lead White House Science Office". bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Previous Science Advisors (1973–2009)". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  29. ↑ Norr, Melissa (March 20, 2009). "Holdren Confirmed as OSTP Director". Computing Research Association .
  30. ↑ Showstack, Randy (July 27, 2017). "Trump Administration Moving Closer to Picking Science Director". Eos . doi:10.1029/2017EO078569.
  31. ↑ Smith, Marcia (February 11, 2019). "Droegemeier Officially Sworn In As OSTP Director". SpacePolicyOnline.
  32. ↑ "OSTP Director Confirmed, Sworn In". University of Washington. June 3, 2021.
  33. ↑ Thomas, William (February 8, 2022). "Science Advisor Eric Lander Resigns in Disgrace". American Institute of Physics .
  34. ↑ Ward, Myah (February 16, 2022). "Biden names 2 people to replace Eric Lander in top science roles". Politico . Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  35. ↑ Mosley, Brian (January 2, 2025). "President-Elect Trump Names OSTP Director and Other High Level Science & Tech Policy Staff". Computing Research Association .
  36. ↑ Alder, Madison (March 25, 2025). "Senate confirms Michael Kratsios to lead White House science, technology office". FedScoop.
  37. ↑ "Staff". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  38. ↑ Vitale, Julia (March 4, 2021). "Eric Lander is the First Ever Cabinet Science Advisor - IJ". Interrogating Justice. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  39. ↑ Subbaraman, Nidhi (June 4, 2021). "First science adviser in US president's cabinet talks COVID, spying and more". Nature. 594 (7863): 311–311. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01501-1.
  40. ↑ "FLC | Biden announces plan to elevate White House science office to Cabinet-level". federallabs.org. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  41. ↑ Subbaraman, Nidhi; Witze, Alexandra (January 16, 2021). "Joe Biden names top geneticist Eric Lander as science adviser" . Nature. Nature Publishing Group. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00118-8.
  42. ↑ "Climate and Environment | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  43. ↑ Brugger, Kelsey (May 25, 2021). "Meet Biden's trailblazing climate science adviser". E&E News by POLITICO. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Industrial Innovation | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Industrial Innovation | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Health Outcomes | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  47. ↑ "National Security | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  48. ↑ "National Security | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Science, Society, and Policy | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Technology | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Technology | OSTP". The White House. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  52. ↑ Egan, Lauren (July 30, 2024). "What if Harris cleans house?". Politico.
  53. ↑ "OSTP Leadership & Staff". The White House. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
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