NIH Director, DOD Research Priorities, Climate Research
BU IN DC
Deborah Carr of the College of Arts & Sciences participated in a symposium on rethinking healthy aging on May 11th. She also spoke at a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine seminar on kinlessness and living alone at older ages on May 15th.
Gerald Denis of the Chobanian & AvedisianSchool of Medicine spoke with staff in the offices of Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) about the importance of investing in the National Institutes of Health as part of the American Association of Immunologists annual meeting from May 11th through 15th.
Lara Merling, Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Marilou Uy, and Timon Foster of the Global Development Policy Center hosted the Taskforce on Climate, Development and the International Monetary Fund at the Federal Relations office on May 12th.
BIDEN NOMINATES BERTAGNOLLI AS NIH DIRECTOR
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced he would nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bertagnolli is a surgical oncologist who leads the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a role she has held since October 2022. The nomination will now move to the U.S. Senate for approval. If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Bertagnolli would replace Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who has been acting NIH director since the resignation of Dr. Francis Collins in December 2021. Bertagnolli was previously affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
BUZZ BITS…
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on Tuesday that Susan Marqusee will serve as the next leader of the NSF Biological Sciences Directorate. Dr. Marqusee, a biophysical chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, will assume her new role on June 20th.
- Last week, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) released its National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, laying out its vision for research and development to support the national defense enterprise. The strategy highlights 14 critical technology areas, including quantum science, trusted artificial intelligence, and space technology. DOD also pledges to invest in information systems and analyses that will better determine scientific priorities, accelerate commercialization, expand communication with external stakeholders, and cultivate its scientific workforce.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Colleen Shogan as the next archivist of the United States on May 10th. Dr. Shogan, who previously worked for the White House Historical Association and the Library of Congress, is the first woman to permanently lead the National Archives and Records Administration.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
A new overview of federal priorities and funding opportunities in environment, climate, and sustainability research is now available on the Federal Relations web site. Created by the team at Lewis-Burke Associates, the overview includes thematic priorities across federal agencies related to clean energy technology; resilient infrastructure and national security; water, oceans, and coasts; climate and human health; environmental justice; and fundamental climate research and education. The compendium also highlights major climate provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act that Congress enacted last year, as well as a compilation of environment-related federal funding opportunities. Federal Relations is available to discuss any of the opportunities highlighted within the report.