Dr. Jane Lubchenco Joins White House Science Team to Lead Initiatives in Climate and Environment Science
Distinguished Scientist and Former NOAA Administrator to Serve as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment at White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced that Dr. Jane Lubchenco has joined the Biden-Harris Administration as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment.
A Distinguished Professor at Oregon State University, Lubchenco previously served as Under Secretary of Commerce and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Obama-Biden Administration.
In this newly created role, Dr. Lubchenco will lead climate and environment science efforts in the White House, bringing an integrated approach that connects climate and environmental challenges with health, economic recovery, equity and sustainability. OSTP is responsible for critical climate and environment science efforts, including the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Climate Assessment.
Lubchenco will work closely with the leadership of OSTP, to which President Biden has nominated Dr. Eric S. Lander to serve as Director and appointed Dr. Alondra Nelson as Deputy Director for Science and Society. In addition, she will collaborate with Biden-Harris Administration science and climate advisors, including White House National Climate Coordinator Gina McCarthy.
“To me, science means hope and opportunity. I’m eager to work with the stellar team at the White House and across the federal government to craft evidence-based solutions to climate and environmental challenges – solutions that produce durable outcomes for people, the nation and the world,” said Lubchenco. “We do not need to choose between the environment and the economy. A healthy environment and a stable climate are the key to both economic recovery and long-term prosperity that is equitable and just. The need for science-based action has never been greater – and we have ample evidence that smart actions can solve multiple problems simultaneously.”
President Biden has committed to tackling climate change as one of his Administration’s highest priorities. By taking bold executive actions aimed at tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad, Biden is dedicated to creating good-paying union jobs and an equitable clean energy future restoring scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking across the federal government, and making environmental justice a part of the mission of every agency.
“The choices we make today will have a lasting impact across generations of future Americans, said Nelson. “I am excited to have the opportunity to partner with Dr. Lubchenco to work toward an equitable future that is prosperous and sustainable for all.”
As a widely respected environmental scientist who spent four years at the helm of NOAA followed by two years as the State Department’s first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean in the Obama-Biden Administration, Lubchenco brings deep experience in science and government.
Under her leadership in the Obama-Biden Administration, NOAA restored U.S. fisheries to sustainability and profitability, ensured the continuity of the nation’s weather and environmental satellites, delivered climate science and services, strengthened science, influenced the Nation’s first National Ocean Policy, and created a robust NOAA scientific integrity policy. As the first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean, she worked with government officials, industry leaders, youth, academics and civil society to advance climate-ready fisheries, sustainable aquaculture, smart ocean planning, and sustainable economic development in China, Indonesia, South Africa, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
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For questions or inquiries, please contact mbx.ostp.press@ostp.eop.gov.
