RICHARD N. ZARE (Chair) is the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science at Stanford University. He was born on November 19, 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a graduate of Harvard University, where he received his B.A. degree in chemistry and physics in 1961 and his Ph.D. in chemical physics in 1964. In 1965 he became an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but moved to the University of Colorado in 1966, remaining there until 1969 while holding joint appointments in the departments of chemistry, and physics and astrophysics. In 1969 he was appointed to a full professorship in the chemistry department at Columbia University, becoming the Higgins Professor of Natural Science in 1975. In 1977 he moved to Stanford University. He was named Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University in 2005. In 2006 he was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professor.

Professor Zare is renowned for his research in the area of laser chemistry, resulting in a greater understanding of chemical reactions at the molecular level. By experimental and theoretical studies he has made seminal contributions to our knowledge of molecular collision processes and contributed very significantly to solving a variety of problems in chemical analysis. His development of laser induced fluorescence as a method for studying reaction dynamics has been widely adopted in other laboratories. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1976.

 

LINDA M. ABRIOLA is the Dean of Engineering and a Professor in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering at Tufts University. Her research in the Integrated Multiphase Environmental Systems Laboratory uses both mathematical modeling and laboratory experiments to study reactive contaminants in the subsurface. Prior to her arrival at Tufts University, she was a member of the faculty at University of Michigan from 1984 to 2003. In addition to her work with the National Research Council, she has served on advisory committees for the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. She received her bachelor’s degree from Drexel University in 1979, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University in 1979 and 1983. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

MOSES HUNG-WAI CHAN is the Evan Pugh Professor in the Department of Physics at Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on low temperature physics. He joined the faculty at Penn State in 1979. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College in 1967, and a Master’s and Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1969 and 1974. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

RALPH J. CICERONE (ex-officio) is the President of the National Academy of Sciences and the Chair of National Research Council. His research in atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and energy has contributed to the understanding of greenhouse gases and ozone depletion. Prior to his election as NAS president, he held positions at the University of Michigan, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and University of California, Irvine. He served as Dean of the Physical Sciences from 1994 to 1998, and then Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine from 1998 to 2005. He received his bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Physics from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has served as president of NAS since 2005.

 

PAUL CITRON is a senior fellow at the William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at University of California, San Diego. Prior to his arrival at UCSD, he served as Vice President of Science and Technology and Vice President of Technology Policy and Academic Relations at Medtronic, Inc., a medical technologies company, until he retired in 2003. During his 32 years at Medtronic, Inc., he was responsible for corporate-wide assessment and coordination of technology and for establishing and prioritization of corporate research. He also co-invented the tined pacing lead. He received his bachelor’s degree from Drexel University in 1969, and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from University of Minnesota in 1972. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

RUTH A. DAVID is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Analytic Services Inc., a non-profit public service research institution that provides research and analytic support on national and transnational issues. She has technical experience in digital and microprocessor-based system design, digital signal analysis, adaptive signal analysis, and system integration. Prior to her arrival at Analytic Services, Inc., she held positions at the Sandia National Laboratories, Central Intelligence Agency, and University of New Mexico. In addition to her work with the National Research Council, she has served on advisory committees for the Department of Homeland Security, National Security Agency, Department of Energy, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University in 1975, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1976 and 1981. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

GORDON R. ENGLAND is the president of E6 Partners LLC, a partnership which promotes linkages between U.S. companies and overseas investors by providing due diligence, management strategy, and regulatory clearance of merger and acquisition deals.  Mr. England served as the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2006 – 2009, having previously served as the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and as the 72nd and 73rd Secretary of the Navy.  Prior to joining the administration of President George W. Bush, Mr. England worked as an executive vice president at General Dynamics, as president of General Dynamics Land Systems Company, and as president of the General Dynamics Fort Worth Aircraft Company (later Lockheed).  Mr. England is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

HARVEY V. FINEBERG (ex-officio) is the President of the Institute of Medicine. His work has encompassed multiple aspects of health policy, including assessment of medical technology, evaluation and use of vaccines, and dissemination of medical innovations. Prior to his election as IOM president, he served as Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health from 1984 to 1997 and Provost of Harvard University from 1997 to 2001. In addition to his work with the National Research Council, he has served on advisory committees for the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1967, a M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1971, a Master’s from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 1972, and a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University in 1980. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and has served as president of IOM since 2002.

 

DIANE E. GRIFFIN  is the Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Griffin’s research focuses on the relationship between viruses and disease, with particular emphasis on encephalitis and measles. Her work with Sindbis virus, which causes encephalitis, identified measures by which the immune system can safely clear the virus from neurons. Dr. Griffin is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American Academy of Microbiology. She received her BA from Augustana College and her MD and PhD from Stanford University School of Medicine. She is a member and serves on the Governing Councils of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.

 

C. DAN MOTE, JR. (ex-officio) is the Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and President Emeritus of the University of Maryland, serving from 1998 to 2010. His research focuses on understanding dynamic systems and biomechanics, expanding our knowledge of gyroscopic systems and snow skiing. Prior to his arrival at University of Maryland, he was a member of the faculty at Carnegie-Mellon University and University of California, Berkeley. He also served as Vice Chancellor at Berkeley from 1991 to 1998. He received his bachelor’s degree, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

PERCY A. PIERRE is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State University. He also served as the Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies from 1990 to 1995. His research focuses on stochastic models in engineering systems. He has also been a principal architect of the national minority engineering effort, working to recruit, retain, and graduate domestic graduate students, with an emphasis on underrepresented groups. Prior to his arrival at Michigan State University in 1990, he held positions in the Executive Office of the President and the Department of the Army. He also served as Dean of the College of Engineering at Howard University from 1971 to 1977 and President of Prairie A&M University from 1983 to 1989. In addition to his work with the National Research Council, he has served on advisory committees for the University of Notre Dame, White House Fellows Foundation and Association, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from John Hopkins University in 1967. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

E. ALBERT REECE is the Dean of the School of Medicine, Vice President for Medical Affairs, and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at University of Maryland School of Medicine. He served as Acting President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2010. His research focuses on pregnancy, birth defects and prenatal diagnosis, in particular diabetes-induced birth defects. Prior to his arrival at the University of Maryland in 2006, he held positions at Yale University, Temple University, and the University of Arkansas. He also served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Dean of the College of Medicine. In addition to his work with the National Research Council, he has served on advisory committees for the March of Dimes, Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. He received his bachelor’s degree from Long Island University, an M.D. from New York University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, and a M.B.A from the Fox School of Business & Management of Temple University. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine.

 

WILLIAM J. SPENCER is Chairman Emeritus of the International SEMATECH Board, a privately funded company that works on semiconductor and emerging technology research. He has served as Chairman of the SEMATECH and International SEMATECH Boards, and President and CEO of SEMATECH. Prior to his arrival at SEMATECH in 1990, he held positions at Bell Labs, Sandia National Labs, Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center, and Xerox Corp. He has also held faculty positions at University of California, Berkeley, the University of Texas in Austin, and the University of New Mexico. He received his bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College, a Master’s in Mathematics and Ph.D. in Physics from Kansas State University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

 

MICHAEL S. TURNER is the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago. He has served as the Director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics since 2010 and served as Chair of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from 1997 to 2003. His research has pioneered the interdisciplinary field of particle astrophysics and cosmology, and he coined the term “dark energy.” He has also held positions at Argonne National Laboratory, the National Science Foundation, the Aspen Center for Physics, and the Fermi Research Alliance. In addition to his work with the National Research Council, he has served on advisory committees for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.He received his bachelor’s degree from Caltech in 1971, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University in 1978. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

CHARLES M. VEST (ex-officio) is the President of the National Academy of Engineering and Vice Chair of the National Research Council. He is also President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, serving from 1990 to 2004. He also served as Dean of Engineering, Provost, and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. He has also championed global scientific communication and sharing intellectual resources, such as MIT’s OpenCourseWare (OCW), which was launched during his tenure as president. In addition to his work with the National Research Council, he has served on advisory committees for the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, Department of Energy, Department of Education, and Department of State.He received his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1963, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has served as president of NAE since 2007.

 

NANCY S. WEXLER is the Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University. She has served as President of the Hereditary Disease Foundation since 1983. Her research led to the identification of the Huntington’s disease gene and has since led to the identification of other disease genes. In addition to her work with the National Research Council, she has served on advisory committees for the National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, and Human Genome Organization. She received her bachelor’s from Radcliffe College in 1967, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1974. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine.