IIT Bombay alumnus joins Obama administration, gets top US energy job

Naming yet another Indian-American for a key administration post, President Barack Obama has appointed Arun Majumdar, an Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, alumnus as the top bureaucrat in the Department of Energy.

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Announcing the appointment of Majumdar as Under Secretary of Energy along with four other key administration posts, Obama said: "These men and women have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

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At over two dozen, Obama administration has more Indian-Americans in high places than ever before with their numbers rising through Clinton and Bush presidencies. By far the highest ranking Indian-American in any presidential administration is USAID administrator Rajiv Shah.

According to the White House, Majumdar has served as the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) since 2009.

Previously, he was Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

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His research career has focused on the science and engineering of energy conversion, transport, and storage, ranging from the molecular and nanoscale level to large energy systems.

He has served on the advisory committee of the National Science Foundation's engineering directorate and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Majumdar was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2005.

He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1985 and his PhD in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.