• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Kelly Lefler

United States Department of Energy

Acting Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation

Kelly Lefler is the acting Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy (DOE). Prior to this role, she served as the acting program manager of the Civil Nuclear Credit Program, created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In that role she led a multi-disciplinary team to implement a novel $6 billion Federal program to prevent the retirements of existing commercial nuclear power reactors due to economic factors. She has been at DOE since 2015, serving in the offices of Grid Deployment, Nuclear Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Energy Policy and Systems Analysis. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University and Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and Science, Technology, and Culture from Georgia Tech. 

Sessions With Kelly Lefler

Thursday, 9 March

  • 04:30pm - 05:00pm (CST) / 09/mar/2023 10:30 pm - 09/mar/2023 11:00 pm

    Prioritizing diverse perspectives in R&D: a view from Department of Energy
    The Office of the Undersecretary for Science and Innovation at the U.S. Department of Energy oversees $15 billion dollars in funding for basic science and applied science research. A goal of DOE is to ensure the money is allocated equitably; that it attracts new and diverse applicants; and that communities impacted by the research have a say. This session is an opportunity to hear how DOE prioritizes diverse perspectives in research, development and workforce and to discuss how DOE’s grants and loans can be made more accessible.