In Charge of Research

Geneviève Fioraso has been appointed the new minister of higher education and research of France in the wake of the recent elections there, reports the Nature News Blog. Fioraso is the deputy mayor of Grenoble and is the Socialist representative of Isère in the National Assembly. Nature notes that she "is no stranger to research and innovation issues, which has been her [specialty] both as a member of parliament, and as deputy mayor of Grenoble." Fioraso also authored the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices' February report on synthetic biology, Nature adds.