Without a doubt, Berkeley Lab’s mission is relevant to national challenges. Since January, several of the Lab’s people have been tapped by federal agencies to lend their expertise as the new administration ramps up its efforts on a number of priorities.
For example, Sean Peisert has been named to DARPA’s Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group for a three-year term. Lab Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Lady Idos will be on temporary assignment to help design a DOE-wide strategy on justice, equity, diversity, belonging, and inclusion that will build a more diverse and inclusive culture within the Department. And five ETA researchers will be Justice40 Fellows, part of a new program at DOE supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to assess progress on DOE’s objectives around decreasing energy burden and increasing clean energy access, low-cost capital access, enterprise creation, energy job pipeline, energy resiliency, and energy democracy in disadvantaged communities.
Here are some recent temporary leaves and assignments:
Lady Idos, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Lab Directorate
Assignment: Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, Department of Energy
Term: August 2021 – August 2022
Lady Idos is going to the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the Department of Energy to work with Shalanda Baker, the Secretarial Advisor on Equity and Deputy Director for Energy Justice on a DOE-wide strategy on justice, equity, diversity, belonging, and inclusion. She will be on assignment for about a year while she works on this strategy.
Jessica Granderson, Deputy for Research, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Building Emissions Team, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Term: May 2021 – April 2022
Jessica Granderson is working as the director of building technology with the Building Emissions Team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality until April 2022.
Sean Peisert, Staff Scientist, Computing Sciences
Assignment: Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Term: Summer 2021 – Summer 2024
Sean Peisert, cybersecurity expert, has been named to the DARPA’s Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group for a three-year term. The group brings 30 of the brightest scientists and engineers together to identify new areas of development in computer and communication technologies and to recommend future research directions.
Ryan Wiser, Senior Scientist, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Office of Policy, Department of Energy
Term: One year, 50% DOE
Ryan Wiser is providing expertise and technical advice to the DOE, Congress, and the White House on electricity sector and decarbonization policy, with an initial focus on the infrastructure packages being considered in Congress. The DOE’s Office of Policy serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary on domestic energy policy and related integration of energy systems.
Salma Elmalla, Graduate Student Research Assistant, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Justice40 Initiative, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Term: June 2021 – TBD
Salma Elmalla is a Graduate Student Research Assistant in the Electricity Markets and Policy Department and a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. She is focused on understanding existing policy approaches to energy justice as well as grassroots and non-profit approaches to and conceptions of energy justice. She is collaborating on a team to assess progress on DOE’s objectives around decreasing energy burden and increasing clean energy access, low-cost capital access, enterprise creation, energy job pipeline, energy resiliency and energy democracy in disadvantaged communities.
Sydney Forrester, Scientific Engineering Associate, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Justice40 Initiative, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Term: June 2021 – TBD
Sydney Forrester is a Scientific Engineering Associate working in the Electricity Markets and Policy Department. She is collaborating on a team to assess progress on DOE’s objectives around decreasing energy burden and increasing clean energy access, low-cost capital access, enterprise creation, energy job pipeline, energy resiliency and energy democracy in disadvantaged communities. Sydney broadly focuses on renewable energy adoption and new utility business models.
Miguel Heleno, Energy/Environmental Policy Research Scientist/Engineer, Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Justice40 Initiative, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Term: June 2021 – TBD
Miguel Heleno is a Research Scientist who currently leads the Grid Planning and Economics team at the Grid Integration Group and coordinates the LBNL participation in the Microgrid R&D and the Advanced Grid Modeling Programs from the DOE Office of Electricity. He is collaborating on a team to assess progress on DOE’s objectives around decreasing energy burden and increasing clean energy access, low-cost capital access, enterprise creation, energy job pipeline, energy resiliency and energy democracy in disadvantaged communities.
Natalie Popovich, Energy/Environmental Policy Project Scientist/Engineer, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Justice40 Initiative, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Term: June 2021 – TBD
Natalie Popovich is a Project Scientist in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts (EAEI) Division. She is an environmental economist whose research focuses on the interactions of land use, networks, and travel behavior. She is collaborating on a team to assess progress on DOE’s objectives around decreasing energy burden and increasing clean energy access, low-cost capital access, enterprise creation, energy job pipeline, energy resiliency and energy democracy in disadvantaged communities.
C. Anna Spurlock, Energy/Environmental Policy Research Scientist/Engineer, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division, Energy Technologies Area
Assignment: Justice40 Initiative, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
Term: June 2021 – TBD
C. Anna Spurlock is an environmental and behavioral economist. Anna is currently a Justice40 Fellow on Detail half time to the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. As part of this role she is serving as the representative for the U.S. Department of Energy on the Technical Working Group for Discounting, Equity and Risk Aversion in support of the Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases.
In addition, a number of former Lab employees have been appointed to key leadership positions in the administration:
- EESA’s Ali Douraghy was appointed as the chief of staff to the Under Secretary for Science and Energy in the Office of Science at DOE in January 2021.
- ESA’s Ambika Bumb is starting a new position as Deputy Executive Director with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in June 2021.
“National laboratories exist to advance the scientific enterprise in ways that are relevant to national priorities,” said Lab Director Mike Witherell. “This relevance often brings our people opportunities to help policymakers address some of the most urgent challenges for science, the nation, and humankind. I wish our people great success in supporting our federal partners.”