Biden says science will be top priority of his administration

Reiterating science will be the top priority under the new administration, US President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday (local time) nominated geneticist Eric Lander to be the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Announcing the science team that will be headed by Lander, Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, that some of the "brilliant scientific minds in the world" are members of -- Office of Science and Technology Policy and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Biden emphasised that science will be at the forefrunt of his administration and said, "We know that science is discovery, not fiction. It is also about hope. And that is America. It is in the DNA of this country. We are on the cusp of some of the most remarkable breakthroughs that will fundamentally change our way of life. We can make more progress in the next 10 years than we made in the last 50 years."

"We also face some of the direst crises in generations, where science is critical to whether we meet this moment of peril with the promise we know that is in reach," he added.

According to a Sputnik report, Biden elevated the position of Science Advisor to the cabinet for the first time.

Besides Lander, the other nominees are -- Dr Alondra Nelson, Deputy Director for Science and Society, Dr Frances Arnold, Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and Dr Maria Zuber, Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

( With inputs from ANI )