Dr. Anna Palmisano is the Associate Director of Science for Biological and Environmental Research in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). With an annual budget of about $600 million, the Office of Biological and Environmental Research supports complex systems science to meet DOE mission needs in bioenergy, climate and the environment. She joined the Office of Science on March, 2008 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service where she served as the Deputy Administrator for Competitive Programs. She has served a number of leadership roles in both government and industry. Dr. Palmisano received a B.S. degree in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biology from the University of Southern California.