On April 28, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources heard testimony from Evelyn Wang, President Joe Biden’s nominee for director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), within the Department of Energy.

Biden nominated Wang to be the director of the ARPA-E in March, according to Congress.gov.

"I will look to strengthen the ties between research and development to enable more timely, innovative breakthroughs to create jobs and provide energy security for our nation," Wang told the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources.

During the hearing, the committee also heard testimony from Dr. David Applegate, who has been nominated to be director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Ambassador Carmen Cantor, who was nominated to be assistant secretary of the interior (Insular and International Affairs).

"I would like to thank President Biden for nominating me for this important role," Wang said. "I would also like to thank Secretary (Jennifer) Granholm for her confidence in me. If confirmed, I look forward to working closely with Secretary Granholm, members of this committee and the dedicated and vibrant teams at the Department of Energy and our national laboratories."

Wang holds a PhD from Stanford University and currently serves as the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department and a professor of engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her work includes two patents, numerous published works, as well as several awards and honors.

The ARPA-E website says that the department focuses on advancing high-potential energy technologies that are not ready for development by the private sector.

As of May 11, the committee has not taken any further action regarding Wang's nomination.