AAU expresses strong support for Dr. Darío Gil's nomination as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. The letter highlights Dr. Gil's extensive experience, including his roles on the National Science Board and in IBM Research, and emphasizes his vision for collaborative scientific advancement to address growing U.S. energy needs and global competition in emerging science-based fields.
Dear Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Heinrich,
I write to you to express my enthusiastic support for the nomination of Dr. Darío Gil to serve as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department is an important lynchpin for strategic American science, and Darío will provide strong, effective, and visionary leadership to advance the Department’s research programs for progress and competitiveness.
Appointed by President Trump to the National Science Board in 2020, Dr. Gil has served as a dynamic and energetic member of that group; he was elevated to Chair in 2024. In this role, he has been a forceful voice for American science and innovation. He brings a well-informed perspective on the needs of advanced industry, earned via more than two decades with IBM Research – itself a jewel of U.S. innovation. I particularly appreciate his views on the value of collaborations among industry, national labs, and academia, as demonstrated by his leadership of such projects as the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, a critical bridge between basic academic science and industry applications. Dr. Gil also served as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) during President Trump’s first term.
The nation faces an exciting, but demanding, time for science and energy. The Energy Information Administration predicts continued growth in U.S. energy consumption in the years ahead due in part to growth in data centers and manufacturing. We face intensifying global competition in energy and other emerging science-based fields. Achieving the Administration’s vision for technology leadership and energy abundance will take advances in a broad array of areas like fusion, electrochemistry, and quantum science, and this in turn requires collaboration among our labs, our companies, and our universities. As Secretary Wright has said, “Technology doesn’t happen in isolation.”
To that end, I strongly support Darío’s nomination and encourage the Committee to advance it expeditiously.