Composition of peer review groups.

(a) Peer review group members will be selected based upon their training and experience in relevant scientific or technical fields, taking into account the following factors: (1) The level of formal scientific or technical education by the individual; (2) The extent to which the individual has engaged in relevant research, the capacities in which the individual has done so (e.g., principal investigator, assistant), and the quality of such research; (3) Professional recognition as reflected by awards and other honors received from scientific and professional organizations outside of the Department; (4) The need of the group to include within its membership experts from various areas of specialization within relevant scientific or technical fields; (5) The need of the group to include within its membership experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., universities, industry, private consultant(s)) and geographic locations; and (6) The need of the group to maintain a balanced membership, e.g., minority and female representation and an equitable age distribution. (b) [Reserved]