AAAS Tips Harvard's John Holdren to Become US Presidential Science Advisor. (December 19, 2008)

While US President George W Bush's science advisor, John Marburger wasn't confirmed in his appointment until October 2001 some nine months after Mr Bush took office, president-elect Barack Obama is expected to name John Holdren as his choice for the post this week, a full month before he becomes US president.

John Holdren is Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School, as well as Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University.

During Mr Obama's campaign for the Democratic nomination and then for the presidency, Professor Holdren was one of his top advisors.

From 2005 to 2008 he served successively as President-Elect, President, and Chair of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

According to his web page: "His work focuses on causes and consequences of global environmental change, analysis of energy technologies and policies, ways to reduce the dangers from nuclear weapons and materials, and the interaction of content and process in science and technology policy," and this coming northern hemisphere Spring he is scheduled to teach "Energy Policy: Technologies, Systems, and Markets". If he does, it looks as though he'll have to commute between Washington, DC and Cambridge, MA.

It has been noted by Science that Mr Obama has "already created a new position to coordinate energy issues in the White House staffed by well-connected Carol Browner, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and nominated a Nobel-prize winning physicist, Steve Chu, to head the Department of Energy".

According to John Marburger the Office of Science and Technology Policy "will have to be redefined in relation to these other centers of formulating policy".

Considering the apparent lack of effect on presidential science policy by the OSTP and its head over the past seven years, any useful effect will necessarily produce a redefinition.