Governor Jim Doyle today appointed Dr. James Dahlberg as his science advisor. The position was created to keep the Governor and his Administration informed of significant ongoing and developing scientific research and to serve as a liaison to the scientific research community.

“With our world class university research programs and facilities and globally competitive technology and manufacturing firms, Wisconsin is poised to be a national leader in renewable energy and other scientific innovation,” Governor Doyle said. “Dr. Dahlberg is a respected leader in both the private and public sectors who will help Wisconsin continue to foster an environment that encourages scientific inquiry, innovation and commercialization.”

Technology-based markets are a major contributor to Wisconsin’s economy, accounting for tens of thousands of high end jobs. To continue to grow Wisconsin’s economy and maintain its status as a national leader in scientific research and commercialization, it’s important the state continue its success in scientific innovation.

A member of the University of Wisconsin faculty since 1969, Dr. Dahlberg is the Frederick Sanger Professor of Biomolecular Chemistry at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He is also the co-founder of Third Wave Technologies, a publicly traded biotechnology company based in Madison that develops and sells tests and reagents for analysis of specific DNA and RNA molecules.

Dr. Dahlberg received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Chicago in 1966 and did post-doctoral research at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England and the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He has published more than 160 research articles on the structure, function and processing of RNAs and is an inventor or co-inventor of 25 U.S. and 12 international patents.

To view Executive Order 261 creating the science advisor position, please visit: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=14336.