Meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier is in the hot seat today, speaking before a US Senate committee during a hearing on his nomination to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). An early focus of the questions from lawmakers centered on scientific competition from China and how, if he’s confirmed, Droegemeier would address sexual harassment in research.

“We need to make sure we are the strongest research center in the world,” said Droegemeier. He added that China has a history of stealing intellectual property and research results. And while welcoming foreign researchers is an important part of science in the US, Droegemeier said, it should be done with care.

He also spoke up in favor of a recent National Science Foundation (NSF) policy that requires institutions to report if researchers receiving agency funding had committed sexual harassment. “We owe all scientists a safe place to work,” Droegemeier said. He added that if confirmed to lead OSTP, he would include all the agencies under his purview in this conversation.

Senators posed some questions early on that touched on some potential effects of climate change, such as harmful algal blooms. But Droegemeier concentrated on how researchers could respond to those events by improving prediction models.

US President Donald Trump nominated the extreme-weather researcher on 31 July to be his top government science adviser. Droegemeier was vice president of research at the University of Oklahoma in Norman from 2009 until this year. He stepped down from his position on 20 August in advance of his confirmation hearing.

The meteorologist had also served on the National Science Board, which oversees the NSF, under presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Droegemeier is the current secretary of science and technology for Oklahoma.

The Senate committee must vote on whether to advance Droegemeier’s nomination to the full Senate. If a majority of the Senate votes for his confirmation, Droegemeier would be the first non-physicist to take the reins at OSTP since Congress established the office in 1976.