Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) President Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., has been appointed to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Advisory Committee. The group of leaders from industry, academia, and national laboratories will support the Office of Science by providing independent, consensus advice regarding complex scientific and technical issues. 

The committee “will inform exciting new paths to keep us at the forefront of research,” said Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil, a former RPI Trustee. “The new committee will allow Office of Science to adapt to the changing scientific landscape and will address cross-cutting, cross-disciplinary research in a streamlined and flexible way.”

Topics the committee will address include fusion energy, quantum science and the Genesis Mission, a DOE initiative to develop a platform drawing on supercomputing, experimental facilities, and artificial intelligence to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.

Schmidt, an internationally recognized leader and pioneer in the microelectronics field, has a career marked by ongoing collaborations with industry executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, and the world’s foremost researchers and inventors. 

Since joining RPI as President in 2022, Schmidt has overseen the installation of IBM Quantum System One, the first IBM quantum computer on a university campus, and expanded RPI’s presence at NY Creates' Albany NanoTech Complex, a world-renowned hub for research, development, and commercialization of nanotechnology and semiconductor innovation. In 2024 he was appointed to the CHIPS Industrial Advising Committee, providing guidance on semiconductor research and development initiatives.

“I'm honored to serve on this committee at a pivotal moment for American innovation,” Schmidt said. “Quantum computing is poised to move from the laboratory to the marketplace, and artificial intelligence is already transforming how American companies do business. I look forward to working with partners from industry, academia, and government to guide federal scientific policy at this critical juncture.”