Office of Science and Technology Policy
Department of the United States government
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 11, 1976 |
| Headquarters | The White House |
| Employees | 150 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Executive Office of the President |
| Website | WhiteHouse.gov/OSTP |
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]
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.[2] 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.
Trump administration
Under President Donald Trump, OSTP's staff dropped from 135 to 45 people.[3] The OSTP director position remained vacant for over two years, the longest vacancy for the position since the office's founding.[4][5][6] 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[7] 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[8] and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2019.[9] During Trump's tenure, Droegemeier also managed the National Science and Technology Council.
Biden administration
President Joe Biden named, and the Senate later unanimously confirmed,[10] Eric Lander as head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, while also upgrading the position to a cabinet-level post.[11] Lander resigned in February 2022 following reports that engaged in abusive conduct against both subordinates and other White House officials.[12]
- 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.[13]
- On August 25, 2022, OSTP issued guidance to make all federally funded research in the United States freely available without delay.[14][15]
Directors
Michael Kratsios is the current Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, appointed by the Trump Administration on March 25, 2025.[16][17]
During the Biden Administration, the OSTP Director role was elevated to the cabinet.[18]
Mathematician and geneticist Eric Lander was sworn in as Director on June 2, 2021,[19] and later resigned on February 18, 2022, following allegations of misconduct.[20] 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.[21][22]
List of OSTP directors.[23]
Denotes acting capacity. |
| No. | Image | Name | Start | End | Ref. | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Guyford Stever | August 9, 1976 | January 20, 1977 | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) | ||
| 2 | .jpg) |
Frank Press | January 20, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) | ||
| – |  |
Benjamin Huberman Acting |
March 5, 1981 | August 1981 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) | ||
| 3 |  |
Jay Keyworth | August 1981 | December 1985 | |||
| – | |
John McTague Acting |
January 1986 | May 23, 1986 | |||
| – | |
Richard Johnson Acting |
May 24, 1986 | October 1, 1986 | |||
| 4 |  |
William Graham | October 2, 1986 | June 1989 | |||
| – | |
Thomas Rona Acting |
June 1989 | August 1989 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) | ||
| – |  |
William Wells Acting |
August 1989 | August 1989 | |||
| 5 | .jpg) |
Allan Bromley | August 1989 | January 20, 1993 | |||
| 6 | .jpg) |
Jack Gibbons | January 20, 1993 | April 3, 1998 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) | ||
| – |  |
Kerri-Ann Jones Acting |
April 4, 1998 | August 3, 1998 | |||
| 7 |  |
Neal Lane | August 4, 1998 | January 20, 2001 | |||
| – |  |
Rosina Bierbaum Acting |
January 21, 2001 | September 30, 2001 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) | ||
| – | |
Clifford Gabriel Acting |
October 1, 2001 | October 28, 2001 | |||
| 8 |  |
Jack Marburger | October 29, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | |||
| – | |
Ted Wackler Acting |
January 20, 2009 | March 19, 2009 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) | ||
| 9 |  |
John Holdren | March 19, 2009 | January 20, 2017 | [24] | ||
| – | |
Ted Wackler Acting |
January 20, 2017 | January 11, 2019 | [25] | Donald Trump (2017–2021) | |
| 10 |  |
Kelvin Droegemeier | January 11, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | [26] | ||
| – | .jpg) |
Kei Koizumi Acting |
January 20, 2021 | June 2, 2021 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) | ||
| 11 |  |
Eric Lander | June 2, 2021 | February 18, 2022 | [27][28] | ||
| – | .jpg) |
Alondra Nelson Acting |
February 18, 2022 | October 3, 2022 | [29] | ||
| 12 |  |
Arati Prabhakar | October 3, 2022 | January 20, 2025 | [22] | ||
| – |  |
Michael Kratsios | January 20, 2025 | March 25, 2025 | [30] | Donald Trump (2025–present) | |
| 13 | March 25, 2025 | present | [31] | ||||
OSTP Deputy Directors / Deputy "National Science Advisor to the President"
Key executive positions vary among administrations and are not always published online.[32] These executives manage OSTP divisions and are Deputies to the Director / National Science Advisor.
- Biden administration (2021-2024)
President Biden never nominated any individual for the Senate-confirmed role of OSTP Associate Director, roles that report to the Director. The National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act, which establishes OSTP, authorized up to four Associated Director directors, one of whom may be designated as the U.S. Chief Technology Officer. Instead, the Biden-era OSTP shifted to "Deputy Directors," roles that do not require Senate-confirmation, to lead each OSTP division.[33] This was seen as an expansion or "elevation" of the national role of science and technology by President Biden.[34][35]
- Climate and Environment[36] - Deputy Director for Climate and Environment: Jane Lubchenco, former NOAA Administrator
- Energy/Industrial Innovation[37] - Deputy Director for Energy and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition: Sally Benson; division renamed - Deputy Director for Industrial Innovation: Justina Gallegos[38]
- Health Outcomes[39] - Deputy Director of Health Sciences: Carrie Wolinetz; Deputy Assistant to the President for Cancer Moonshot and Deputy Director for Health Outcomes: Danielle Carnival
- National Security[40] - Deputy Director for National Security and Coordinator for Technology and National Security of the National Security Council: Jason Matheny; Deputy Director for National Security and Special Assistant to the President: Stephen Welby[41]
- Science and Society[42] - Principal Deputy Director for Science and Society and Deputy Assistant to the President: Alondra Nelson (performed the duties of the Director from February to October 2022, when she became the first African American and first woman of color to lead OSTP); Deputy Director for Science and Society: Danny Goroff; Principal Deputy Director for Science and Society and Special Assistant to the President: Kei Koizumi.
- Technology[43] - Deputy Director for Technology and Principal Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer: Alexander Macgilivray; Dierdre Mulligan[44]; and Karen Kornbluh[45]
In addition to division heads, the Biden OSTP also had a Deputy Director for Strategy, Asad Ramzanali, who also served as the office's Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to the President.[46]
- Obama administration (2008-2016)
- Megan Smith served as the first U.S. CTO and sole OSTP "Deputy Director" during the Obama Administration.[47]