In 1993, Patrinos succeeded
David J. Galas as the Director of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the U.S. Department of Energy, where he worked on the
Human Genome Project. He launched the Genomes to Life Program and created the DOE Joint Genome Institute. At DOE he was also involved in initiating the International Panel on Climate Change and the Global Change Research Program within the Department of Energy. His work and research has defined many of the policies the United States employs with regard to these fields. He left the Department of Energy in 2006, and joined
Synthetic Genomics Inc. Patrinos is considered a leading authority on structural biology, genomics, global environmental change, and nuclear medicine. He currently directs research for Urban Sciences and Progress or the CUSP program, and is also a professor of biological, chemical, and mechanical engineering at
New York University. He continues to be involved with Synthetic Genome and their project, and also serves on the Board of Directors of Tsakos Energy and Navigation (TNP). He also continues work in Washington D.C. advocating solutions for sustainable global energy and environmental change. == Awards ==