Genomic Science Program
U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Science | Biological and Environmental Research Program

Gerald A. Tuskan Selected as 2024 Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow

Headshot of Gerald A. Tuskan.

Courtesy Carlos Jones, Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy.

August 2024

Four of the nation’s top scientists have each been awarded $1 million in direct funding via the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellows program.

Gerald A. Tuskan from Oak Ridge National Laboratory was selected as a Fellow for

  • foundational scientific advances in the development of resilient bioenergy feedstock crops;
  • excellence in leading large, multi-institutional science teams toward a robust, sustainable bioeconomy; and
  • supporting the next generation of diverse scientists.

The Fellows program was established to develop, sustain, and promote scientific and academic excellence in Office of Science research through collaborations between universities and national laboratories.

The awards, authorized by the America COMPETES act, are bestowed on senior national laboratory scientists. The United States has 17 stellar national laboratories which are powerhouses of science and technology, tackling the world’s greatest scientific challenges.

“It is an honor to recognize the outstanding research of these awardees,” said Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the DOE Office of Science. “They are advancing science solutions for the nation and taking on some of our biggest challenges in bioenergy, materials science, physics, and computing. I look forward to their continued success and impactful results especially as they continue to move forward in their careers, inspiring a new generation of scientists ready to tackle the big questions and challenges of the future.”

The Fellows were selected based on their outstanding scientific leadership and engagement with research communities. They were also recognized because of sustained scientific excellence and achievement; relevance to programmatic goals of the DOE Office of Science; service to the research community; mentoring of early career scientists and/or engineers; and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Each of the scientists will give an online public lecture in the coming months.

Gerald A. Tuskan Lecture