While the current administration has managed to fill a number of science and technology positions much faster than its predecessors, there are still some notable empty chairs.  NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remain under the care of acting chiefs.  The NIST and NIH positions have been open since before the election, and unfortunately there’s been a history of long-serving acting heads of both agencies.

There has been some recent movement.  Shere Abbott has been confirmed as Associate Director for Environment at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  This week Thomas Frieden was appointed to head the Centers for Disease Control, and Zachary Lemnios was tapped to be Director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense.  Similar subcabinet appointments have been made in the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Health and Human Services.  While most of these nominees are recent, the nominee for FDA Commissioner has been waiting for six weeks, and the Federal Communications Commission nominee has waited since the beginning of March for their confirmation hearings.  A chart of many relevant federal positions in science and technology is available online.