doi:10.7916/44z9-3w88Oral history interview with Arun Majumdar, 2021Majumdar, Arunavaoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesEnergy policy--United StatesBP Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill, 2010Smart power grids--United StatesRenewable energy sources--United StatesMajumdar, ArunavaObama, BarackUnited StatesUnited States. Advanced Research Projects Agency-EnergyUnited States. Department of EnergyAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009Arun Majumdar reflects on his contribution to the scientific and energy policy of the Obama administration, in which he served as the first director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) from 2009 to 2012, as acting undersecretary of energy from 2011 to 2012, and as a member of the team of scientists and engineers assembled to stop the leak of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Majumdar focuses on his development of ARPA-E's organizational structure and culture, and he provides details about the processes by which it selected projects for support, managed research projects, defined goals and metrics for evaluating program success, and involved the Department of Energy's career civil servants throughout the new agency's activities. He also describes the importance of maintaining positive relationships with members of Congress, and outlines major research areas and projects, including the SunShot Initiative, efforts to improve energy efficiency, and issues related to improvements to U.S. electrical grids and the storage of critical materials. Also discussed are the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the significance of funding for ARPA-E in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, local resistance to the installation of renewable energy production and transmission infrastructure, and the increase of attention to structural and systemic inequalities in access to energy and exposure to environmental risks