WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees announced that U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was appointed by Chairman Jack Reed (D-R.I.) to the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology that will shape Department of Defense activities regarding biotechnology.

“As a Mechanical Engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I am excited to be selected to serve on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology,” said Senator Padilla. “California has long been a leader on biotech issues, and I look forward to examining the critical role of biotechnology in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as global disease surveillance and other biological threats.”

The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology will conduct a thorough review of how advances in emerging biotechnology and related technologies will shape current and future activities of the Department of Defense, provide an interim report to the President of the United States and the Armed Services Committees within one year, and submit a final unclassified report within two years to the President and the committees, including recommendations for action by Congress and the federal government.

As an MIT alum, Senator Padilla is a strong advocate of STEM education and careers and led a push to enhance America’s data science and literacy education.

The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology was established by Sec. 1091 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

###