Washington, DC - U.S. Science Envoy Dr. Arun Majumdar will travel to Poland February 21-28 in support of President Obama’s initiative to strengthen the United States’ science and education relationships overseas. Dr. Majumdar will meet with representatives from the scientific, academic, and business communities to discuss innovation, advanced technology research and development, and look for ways to advance U.S.-Poland energy research collaboration.
Dr. Majumdar is the Jay Precourt Professor at Stanford University, where he serves on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is a Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy. Prior to joining Stanford, he was the Vice President for Energy at Google, where he created several energy technology initiatives and advised the company on its broader energy strategy. He continues to be a consultant to Google on energy and is the Vice Chair of Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz’s “Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.”
In October 2009, Dr. Majumdar was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate to become the Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), where he served until June 2012. Between March 2011 and June 2012, Dr. Majumdar also served as the Acting Undersecretary of Energy and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Dr. Majumdar was the Almy and Agnes Maynard Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and the Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research career includes the science and engineering of nanoscale materials and devices as well as large engineered systems.
The U.S. Science Envoy Program is a core element of the Administration’s commitment to global engagement in science and technology. President Obama announced the program in Cairo in June 2009. Since the program’s inception, Science Envoys have visited 25 countries.
The Science Envoys travel as private citizens and share the knowledge and insights they gain abroad with the U.S. scientific community upon their return. These exchanges contribute to further cooperation and dialogue with key partners.
