President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Arun Majumdar, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Berkeley Lab's Associate Director for Energy and Environment, to be the first Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E). Arun's nomination must undergo Senate confirmation. This nomination is a tribute to Arun's contributions both to advanced materials sciences and nanotechnology research, and to his innovative leadership of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division.

You can read the official White House statement on its website and you can read more about Arun and the mission of ARPA-E on the Berkeley Lab website.