‘Inspired Choice’: Biden Appoints Sociologist Alondra Nelson to Top Science Post

"During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged that his administration would address inequality and racism. Now that he’s been sworn in as US president, his appointment of a prominent sociologist to the nation’s top science office is raising hopes that the changes will extend to the scientific community.

Alondra Nelson, who has studied the societal impacts of emerging technology, as well as racism in science and medicine, will help lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as deputy director for science and society, Biden announced on 15 January. She has spoken and written about divisive and controversial subjects in bioethics, such as gene editing and direct-to-consumer genetic tests.

Scholars say her inclusion on Biden’s science team emphasizes the importance of science’s effect on society, and vice versa."

Read more at Nature.