The Federal Science Leadership Tracker is an index of high-level federal officials that have responsibility for appropriating funds, setting policy, or managing programs relevant to the physical sciences. The tracker currently contains information about the chairmen and ranking members of selected congressional committees as well as selected Senate-confirmed positions and other leadership positions at key agencies.
This resource is updated on an ongoing basis as new leaders emerge, current appointees depart, and nominees make their way through the Senate confirmation process. Additional committees, agencies, and leadership positions may be added in the future.
If you have any questions or comments about this resource, please email fyi [at] aip.org.
Executive Branch: Trump Administration | Obama Administration
Congress: 116th | 115th | 114th
White House
Senate-Confirmed Positions*
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
 |
Nomination: 08/2018 Hearing: 08/2018 Committee Vote: 09/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 01/02/2019 |
|
|
U.S. Chief Technology Officer
 |
Nomination: 03/2019 Hearing: 07/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 08/01/2019 |
|
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Associate Director, Energy and Environment
Vacant
|
||
|
Associate Director, National Security and International Affairs
Vacant
|
||
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Associate Director, Science
Vacant
|
||
| * The law that created OSTP authorizes the director to appoint "no more than four" associate directors, which "shall perform such functions as the director may prescribe." The associate director titles listed are those used by the Obama administration. | ||
DOE
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Secretary of Energy
 |
Nomination: 11/2019 Hearing: 11/2019 Committee Vote: 11/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by vote of 70-15 on 12/02/2019 |
|
|
Deputy Secretary
Vacant
|
 |
Nomination: 03/2020 |
|
Under Secretary of Energy
|
Nomination: 07/2017 Hearing: 07/2017 Committee Vote: 08/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 11/02/2017 |
|
|
Under Secretary for Science
 |
Nomination: 07/2017 Hearing: 07/2017 Committee Vote: 08/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 11/02/2017 |
|
|
Director, Office of Science
 |
Nomination: 05/2018 Hearing: 06/2018 Committee Vote: 07/2018 Renominated: 01/2019 Committee Vote: 03/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 05/23/2019 |
|
|
Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
 Lane Genatowski
|
Nomination: 07/2018 Hearing: 08/2018 Committee Vote: 08/2018 Renominated: 01/2019 Committee Vote: 03/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 06/27/2019 |
|
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Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
 |
Nomination: 06/2018 Hearing: 06/2018 Committee Vote: 07/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 01/02/2019 |
|
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Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Energy
 |
|
Nomination: 10/2018 Hearing: 10/2018 Committee Vote: 11/2018 Renominated: 01/2019 Committee Vote: 03/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by vote of 86 to 5 on 06/20/2019 |
|
Assistant Secretary, Fossil Energy
|
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 09/2017 Committee Vote: 10/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 11/02/2017 |
|
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Assistant Secretary, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
 |
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 09/2017 Committee Vote: 10/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 10/05/2017 |
National Nuclear Security Administration
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Administrator
 |
Nomination: 12/2017 Hearing: 02/2018 Committee Vote: 02/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 02/15/2018 |
|
|
Principal Deputy Administrator
 |
Nomination: 08/2018 Hearing: 11/2018 Renominated: 01/2019 Committee Vote: 03/2019 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 05/23/2019 |
|
|
Deputy Administrator, Defense Programs
 |
Nomination: 02/2018 Hearing: 05/2018 Committee Vote: 05/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 09/18/2018 |
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|
Deputy Administrator, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
 |
Nomination: 02/2018 Hearing: 03/2018 Committee Vote: 03/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 03/22/2018 |
NASA
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Administrator
 |
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 11/2017 Committee Vote: 11/2017 Renomination: 01/2018 2nd Committee Vote: 01/2018 Floor Vote: 50-49 |
|
|
Deputy Administrator
|
Nomination: 07/2018 Hearing: 08/2018 Committee Vote: 09/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 10/11/2018 |
Other Leadership Positions
|
Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate
 2016-
|
Chief Scientist
 2018-
|
|
Astrophysics Director
 2012-
|
Planetary Science Director
 2018-
|
|
Earth Science Director
 Sandra Cauffman (acting)
2019-
|
Heliophysics Director
 |
NSF
Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Director*
(acting)
|
 |
Nomination: 01/2020 |
|
Deputy Director
Vacant
|
||
| *Note: The NSF director is appointed for a six-year term. | ||
Other Leadership Positions
|
National Science Board Chair
 2018-
|
National Science Board Vice Chair
 2018-
|
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Math & Physical Sciences Director
 2018-
|
Geosciences Director
 2017-
|
|
Computer & Information Science & Engineering Director
 2020-
|
Engineering Director
 2017-
|
|
Biological Sciences Director
 2019-
|
Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences Director
 2018-
|
|
Education & Human Resources Director
 2018-
|
DOD
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Under Secretary for Research and Engineering
 |
Nomination to be principal deputy under secretary of defense for AT&L: 10/2017 Nomination to be under secretary of defense for research and engineering: 12/2017 Hearing: 01/2018 Committee vote: 01/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 02/15/2018 |
|
|
Deputy Under Secretary for Research and Engineering
 |
Nomination: 03/2018 Hearing: 05/2018 Committee Vote: 05/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by 98-1 vote on 09/27/2018 |
|
|
Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment
 |
Nomination: 06/2017 Hearing: 07/2017 Committee Vote: 07/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 08/01/2017 |
|
|
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition
 |
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 11/2017 Committee Vote: 11/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 11/16/2017 |
|
|
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition
 |
Nomination: 01/2018 Hearing: 01/2018 Committee vote: 01/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 02/15/2018 |
|
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Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
 |
Nomination: 10/2017 Hearing: 11/2017 Committee Vote: 11/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 12/20/2017 |
|
|
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs
Alan Shaffer (acting)
|
|
|
Other Leadership Positions
|
Director for Research and Technology, USD(R&E)
 JihFen Lei (acting)
2019-
|
Director for Advanced Capabilities, USD(R&E)
 2018-
|
|
Director for Modernization, USD(R&E)
 2019-
|
DARPA Director
 Peter Highnam (acting)
2020-
|
|
DOD Basic Research Office Director
Bindu Nair
|
Air Force Chief Scientist
 2018-
|
|
Air Force Office of Scientific Research Director
 Colonel Michelle Ewy (acting)
|
Air Force Research Lab Commander
 2020-
|
|
Naval Research Lab Director of Research
 2016-
|
Chief of Naval Research
 2016-
|
|
Army Research Lab Director
 2019-
|
IARPA Director
 2019-
|
NOAA
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
NOAA Administrator
 Neil Jacobs (acting)
|
|
Nomination: 01/2020 Hearing: 03/2020
|
|
Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere
 |
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 09/2017 Committee Vote: 10/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 09/05/2017 |
|
|
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction
|
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 11/2017 Committee Vote: 11/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 02/15/2018 |
Other Leadership Positions
|
NOAA Chief Scientist
 Craig McLean (acting)
|
NOAA Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
2015-
|
|
National Weather Service Director
 2013-
|
NOAA Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Service
 2014-
|
NIST
Senate-Confirmed Positions
|
NIST Director
 |
Nomination: 09/2017 Hearing: 09/2017 Committee Vote: 10/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 10/05/2017 |
Other Leadership Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
NIST Associate Director for Lab Programs
 |
NIST Director of Physical Measurement Lab
 2019-
|
NIH
Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Director
 2009-
|
President Trump announced on 06/06/2017 that Francis Collins, who was appointed by President Obama, would continue to serve as NIH director. |
DOI
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
 Timothy Petty
|
Nomination: 11/2017 Hearing: 12/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 12/21/2017 |
|
|
USGS Director
 |
Nomination: 01/2018 Hearing: 03/2018 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 04/09/2018 |
State
Selected Senate-Confirmed Positions
| Current Occupant | Nominee | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
|
||
|
Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation
 |
Christopher Ford |
Nomination: 10/2017 Hearing: 11/2017 Floor Vote: Confirmed by voice vote on 12/21/2017 |
Other Leadership Positions
|
S&T Adviser to the Secretary of State
 2019-
|
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science, Space, and Health
 Jonathan Margolis (acting)
2011-
|