This week, President Obama announced his intention to appoint several individuals to key administration posts, including scientist Arun Majumdar, nominee for Under Secretary of Energy: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts.Majumdar currently heads the Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which invests in "out-of-the-box" energy technologies: Obama taps research agency chief for senior Energy Department slot.
Dr. Arun Majumdar, Nominee for Under Secretary of Energy, Department of EnergyView the rest of the White House press release here.
Dr. Arun Majumdar has served as the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) since 2009. Previously, he was Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His research career has focused on the science and engineering of energy conversion, transport, and storage, ranging from the molecular and nanoscale level to large energy systems. He has served on the advisory committee of the National Science Foundation's engineering directorate and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Majumdar was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2005. He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985 and his Ph.D. in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.