Trump Picks Meteorologist As Top Scientific Adviser

President Trump nominated a new top adviser for scientific issues, establishing permanent leadership at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The White House announced late Tuesday that Kelvin Droegemeier, vice president for research and professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, would be the next OSTP director and the government’s top chief technology officer.

The director’s office has been vacant since the beginning of the Trump administration, more than 19 months, the longest stretch any president has gone without a scientific adviser since OSTP was established in 1976. In the interim, the office has been run by acting Director Michael Kratsios, who also serves as deputy U.S. CTO and assistant to the president.

Along with his positions at the University of Oklahoma, Droegemeier also serves as the state secretary of science and technology, a cabinet position in Oklahoma. Prior to that, he worked for the National Science Foundation for 12 years before serving as vice chair of the foundation’s National Science Board for three years under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

He is the cofounder and a former director of the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms and the Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere.

NSF Director France Cordova lauded the administration's pick for OSTP director.

“I am thrilled at the nomination of Kelvin Droegemeier as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Through his deep and years-long connection to the National Science Foundation, we know him to be a thoughtful advocate for all aspects of science,” Cordova said in a statement Wednesday.

“Importantly, Dr. Droegemeier has exemplified the role of researcher as educator and communicator,” Cordova said. “At a time when NSF and its partners are working to enhance the economy, national defense and the U.S. position as a global innovation leader, I am grateful that such a champion of basic research has been selected for this important role.”

Sara Reardon and Alexandra Witze at the journal Nature noted Droegemeier—a meteorologist by training and an expert in “extreme-weather events”—would be the first OSTP director without a background in physics.

Democratic lawmakers have been pushing the administration to appoint a permanent OSTP leader for years, citing critical scientific challenges like climate change, cyberwar and advancements in areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Droegemeier will have to be confirmed by the Senate before officially starting the new job.