Dr. Franklin Orr Confirmed as Under Secretary for Science and Energy
WASHINGTON – Dr. Franklin (Lynn) Orr was confirmed by the Senate on December 4, 2014 as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the Department of Energy.
“Lynn Orr is an outstanding scientist and has successfully led a major multidisciplinary program on energy sources, technology and analysis at one of the top research universities. This experience will serve him well as the DOE Under Secretary for Science and Energy,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “I look forward to working closely with Lynn to shape the nation’s clean energy agenda, and to sustain American leadership in science. I thank the Senate for approving his nomination.”
As Under Secretary for Science and Energy, Dr. Orr will oversee all of the Department of Energy’s science research programs, including a majority of the national labs. This position is part of the Department’s s recent reorganization, which expanded the Under Secretary for Science role to encompass both science and energy. Dr. Orr’s role will include oversight of research in the Offices of Science, Fossil Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Nuclear Energy, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Indian Energy, and the Technology Transfer Coordinator.
For almost 30 years, Dr. Orr has been a member of the faculty at Stanford University. In 2009, he helped create the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy, which he has led since its founding. Before that, he served as the dean of the Stanford School of Earth Sciences and later helped start the Global Climate and Energy project – a ten-year project to research technology options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy use.
Dr. Orr has taken part in various studies conducted by the National Academies’ National Research Council. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. Dr. Orr received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
