Science Advisor Nominee Faces Tough Questions from Senate Panel

Senators raise concerns about how Eric Lander of the Broad Institute has handled equality issues.

Written byJef Akst

| 2 min read

Head shot of Eric Lander, the president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

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Update (June 1, 2021): Last week, the US Senate confirmed geneticist Eric Lander to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Associated Press reports—a position recently elevated to a cabinet position.

When President Joe Biden took office in January, he named geneticist Eric Lander to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and to be his science adviser. But reports that Lander, the president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, had associated with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have delayed his confirmation, according to Politico. Lander’s ties to Epstein were among the topics discussed at a Senate panel hearing yesterday (April 29).

Biden elevated the role of OSTP leader to a cabinet position for the first time, and Lander is the only cabinet member yet to be confirmed, Times Higher Education reports.

At yesterday’s hearing, Lander ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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