Secretary of Energy: Steven Chu

A Chinese-American, Chu helps Obama fulfil his promise to create the most diverse cabinet in history. The 60-year-old Stanford University physics professor has already won a Nobel Prize for research into lasers and has the distinct advantage of being a genuine scientist. Equally, he has the disadvantage of not being a genuine politician when much of his time will be spent trying to push legislation through the Senate. Obama has promised to double the budget for the Department of Energy in an effort to make America a greener nation. Time magazine says Chu "understands the existential threat posed by climate change" and "knows that we'll need technological leaps in the way we use energy to save our species."

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 6, 2009