A Chinese-American, Chu is a professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at the University of California-Berkeley and has been the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2004, where he has pushed aggressively for research into alternative energy as a way to combat global warming.

It is the oldest of the Energy Department’s national laboratories, but does only unclassified work and in recent years under Chu has been at the center of research into biofuels and solar technologies. Chu has been a strong advocate for the need to engage scientists in the search for ways to combat global warming by replacing fossil fuels with other energy sources such as biofuels and the sun.

If confirmed, Chu would be the second academic Obama has tapped from UC Berkeley, after Christina D. Romer, an economics professor picked to head Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.

The choice would further confirm that Obama is serious about revolutionizing the nation’s energy policy, and he is willing to look outside of Washington to tap the nation’s top experts in their respective fields.

The strategy is not without risks, as being a good scientist does not necessarily make one a good policymaker. However, Chu’s position as the director of a prominent research laboratory suggests he has experience managing a bureaucracy.

Perhaps most important, the move would close the door on yet another tragic hallmark of the Bush era — in the Obama administration, science will direct America’s energy policy, not vice versa.

Appearing on “Good Morning America” today, Tapper said Obama is set to name Christina Romer as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers — a three-person team that, as the name implies, advises the president on economic policy.

Romer, who served as an economic adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign, is currently an economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley — as is her husband, David Romer. A look at the couple’s body of academic research, on which they frequently collaborate, reveals much about the role Obama is looking for Romer to fill. A quick Google Scholar search shows a focus on economic recovery, particularly related to the Great Depression, and promoting monetary stability.

Here’s a brief sample of the titles of some of Romer’s research papers:

The Great Crash and the Onset of the Great Depression

Changes in Business Cycles: Evidence and Explanations

What Ended the Great Depression?

The Macroeconomic Effects of Tax Changes: Estimates Based on a New Measure of Fiscal Shocks

Clearly, Romer’s job description will likely include figuring out how to apply the lessons of the past to solving the current economic crisis.