About the Office of the Chief Scientist
The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) provides leadership and coordination to ensure that research supported by, and scientific advice provided to the Department and external stakeholders is held to the highest standards of intellectual rigor and scientific integrity.
The OCS strives to inform policy and programmatic decisions within the Department by providing the best available scientific advice and input; establishing appropriate linkages between the USDA and other science-performing organizations in government (U.S. and abroad), academia, and industry; and ensuring the dissemination of science performed by the Department to policy makers and decision leaders across the spectrum of policy making nationally and internationally.
Leadership
- Scott Hutchins, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics
- Lauren Stump, Deputy Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics
- Katherine (Kate) Sixt, Executive Director, Office of the Chief Scientist
- Richard Derksen, Deputy Director, Office of the Chief Scientist
- Patrick Lee, Director, Office of Research, Economic, and Science Security
Senior Staff/Advisors
- Jaime Adams, Senior Advisor for International Affairs
- William C. Trenkle, Departmental Scientific Integrity Officer (DSIO) and USDA Research Integrity Officer
- Holly Wiggins, Strategic Planning, Program Evaluation & Enterprise Risk Officer
Senior Advisors (Rotating)
Fellows
- Breanne Langlois, ORISE Nutrition Science Fellow
NAREEE Advisory Board
The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board provides feedback to the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA’s science agencies and university collaborators on food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics priorities and policies.
