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Cherry A. Murray appointed to DOE advisory board

SEAS dean will lend expertise to an independent advisory committee on the Department of Energy's major mission areas

Cherry A. Murray is dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. (Photo by Eliza Grinnell, SEAS Communications.)

Washington, D.C. – Cherry A. Murray, Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been appointed a member of the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). As one of the nineteen scientists, business executives, academics and former government officials on the independent advisory committee, Murray will provide advice and recommendations to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

“These individuals represent some of the best and brightest in their respective fields and it is a great privilege that they have agreed to offer their expertise to the Energy Department,” said Secretary Moniz. “Having a diverse set of voices around the table will ensure that the Department has a strategic approach to the nation’s energy, science, nuclear security, and environmental stewardship future.”

The Board includes four standing subcommittees reflecting the Department's major mission areas: science; energy; nuclear security; and environmental stewardship. SEAB reports directly to the Secretary of Energy. It was chartered in 1990 to provide the Secretary with timely, balanced, external advice on issues concerning the Department. The board is expected to meet quarterly and at other times as needed.

The full list of members includes:

  • Frances Beinecke, president, Natural Resources Defense Council.
  • Rafael Bras, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • Albert Carnesale, chancellor emeritus and professor, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • John Deutch, MIT chemist and former undersecretary of Energy.
  • Persis Drell, professor of physics, Stanford University, and former director, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
  • Shirley Ann Jackson, president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  • Deborah Jin, physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and professor adjoint for physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
  • Paul Joskow, president, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and emeritus professor of economics, MIT.
  • Steve Koonin, director, Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University, and former DOE undersecretary for science.
  • Michael McQuade, senior vice president for science and technology, United Technologies Corp.
  • Richard Meserve, president, Carnegie Institution for Science, and former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  • Cherry Murray, dean, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
  • John Podesta, chairman, Center for American Progress, and former White House chief of staff.
  • Dan Reicher, executive director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance; professor, Stanford University; and former assistant secretary of Energy.
  • Carmichael Roberts, general partner, North Bridge Venture Partners.
  • Martha Schlicher, renewables and sustainability technology lead, Monsanto Co.
  • Brent Scowcroft, retired U.S. lieutenant general, former national security adviser, and president and founder, Scowcroft Group.
  • Ram Shenoy, chief technology officer, ConocoPhillips.
  • Daniel Yergin, vice chairman, IHS, and founder of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

In addition to her role as dean of Harvard SEAS, Murray is the John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Physics. In 2010, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to be a member of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, which released its report in January 2011.

Adapted from an original release by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Topics: Environment