President-elect Joe Biden is elevating the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to a Cabinet-level position, a move that highlights the emphasis the incoming administration plans to put on science as it inherits a public health crisis.
 
Biden on Friday named Eric Lander, a principal leader of the Human Genome Project, to the post and announced several other key members of the White House science team.
 
"Science will always be at the forefront of my administration -- and these world-renowned scientists will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts, and the truth," Biden said in a statement. "Their trusted guidance will be essential as we come together to end this pandemic, bring our economy back, and pursue new breakthroughs to improve the quality of life of all Americans."
 
Lander will be the first life scientist to serve as presidential science adviser, according to the news release. In the same rollout, Biden indicated that Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, who was appointed by President Barack Obama during his first term, will stay in that role.
 
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