During the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, billionaire John Doerr suggested in an interview with journalist John Heilemann that Obama should choose Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, as chief of technology officer for the United States.

It is for the first time that a president implements such a position, and it comes at a time when Obama needs to focus on innovation and energy efficient plans, which will of course require a significant investment.

Taking all this into consideration, John Doerr’s first choice was Bill Joy from the Kleiner-Perkins team, who Doerr said they will try to do without, but it’s a sacrifice they would be willing to make for a great cause. The second name Doerr suggested was Danny Hillis.

Heilemann also asked what energy policy president elect Obama should focus on in his first term to help entrepreneurs.

“The most important thing he’s got to do is kick start a huge amount of innovation and research in energy,” Doerr said, adding that the current investment in energy is 32 times less than the investment in health care, and that this is “the challenge of our generation.”

Progress would of course not be possible without a bunch of smart people to support it, Doerr explained, highlighting the necessity of creating a specific program to double the number of engineers and scientists graduating every year in the United States (from 30,000 to 60,000).

Regarding foreign specialists that come to study in the United States, and then are forced to go back home, Doerr said he would “staple a green card to the diploma” of anybody graduating with a degree in physical science or engineering in the United States.