MAJUMDAR TO BE NOMINATED AS UNDER SECRETARY OF ENERGY

President Barack Obama yesterday announced his intention to nominate of Arun Majumdar as Under Secretary of Energy, a position that has not been filled in a permanent capacity since the departure of Kristina Johnson in November 2010. The choice of Majumdar for the slot is not a complete surprise. In recent months, the bulk of DOE’s applied energy portfolio has reported to Majumdar in his capacity as DOE senior advisor and earlier this year Majumdar, who currently served as director of DOE’s Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy, briefly served as acting Under Secretary of Energy earlier this year. Before joining the Department, Majumdar worked with DOE Secretary Steven Chu at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.