PCAST Biographies

The President's Committee of Advisors 
on Science & Technology


Neal F. Lane   On August 4, 1998, Neal F. Lane was sworn in as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Dr. Lane also serves as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Policy, often referred to simply as the President’s “Science Advisor.”

Immediately prior to his move to the White House, Dr. Lane served as Director of the National Science Foundation from October of 1993, during which time he also served as a member of the National Science Board.

Prior to becoming NSF Director, Dr. Lane was Provost and Professor of Physics at Rice University in Houston, Texas, a position he had held since 1986.  His tenure at Rice began in 1966, when he joined the Department of Physics as an assistant professor.  In 1972, he became Professor of Physics and Space Physics and Astronomy.  He left Rice from mid-1984 to 1986 to serve as Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  In addition, while on leave from Rice from 1979 to 1980, he worked for the National Science Foundation as the Director of the Division of Physics.

Widely recognized as a scientist and educator, Dr. Lane has published widely on research topics in atomic and molecular physics and has made numerous presentations on science and science policy.  Early in his career he received an NSF Post-doctoral Fellowship and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship.  He earned Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1960 and was inducted into Sigma Xi National Research Society in 1964, serving as its president in 1993.  While a professor at Rice, he was a two-time recipient of the University’s George R. Brown Prize for Superior Teaching.  Dr. Lane has also received honorary degrees from several institutions of higher education.

Through his work with scientific and professional organizations and his participation on review and advisory committees for various Federal and state agencies.  Dr. Lane has contributed to public service throughout his career.  He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for Advancement of Science and a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1938, Dr. Lane earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Oklahoma.  He is married to Jone Sue (Williams) Lane, has two children Christy Saydjari and John and two grandchildren Alex and Allia Saydjari.
 


John A. Young is the former President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Wells Fargo, SmithKline Beecham, the Chevron Corporation, Affymetrix, Lucent Technologies, i-cube, and Vice Chairman and Director of Novell, Inc.

Mr. Young has a distinguished record as a public servant.  He served as the Chairman of the President's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, President of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and a member of the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.  He is also the founder and former Chairman of the private sector Council on Competitiveness.  He is currently Chairman of the Board of Smart Valley, Inc.

A native of Idaho, Mr. Young received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Oregon State University and received his MBA from Stanford University.  He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
 


Norman R. Augustine is former chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation and serves on the Board of Directors for Phillips Petroleum, Black and Decker, and Procter & Gamble.  He has accrued more than 35 years of management experience in the private and public sectors, having formerly worked for Douglas Aircraft and LTV, as well as holding the post of Under Secretary of the Army from 1975 to 1977.

Mr. Augustine is currently serving on the faculty of the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Born in Denver, Mr. Augustine received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University.
 


Francisco J. Ayala is the Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine.  He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a member of National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Ayala has been a member of advisory committees for the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ayala graduated from the University of Madrid, and subsequently earned his doctorate from Columbia University in New York.  He is widely known for his scholarship on the topics of population, genetics, and evolution.
 


John Deutch  is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He served as Director of Central Intelligence from May 1995-December 1996.  From 1994-1995, he served as Deputy Secretary of Defense and served as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology 1993-1994.

John Deutch has also serves as Director of Energy Research (1977-1979), Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology (1979), and Undersecretary (1979-1980) of, the United States Department of Energy.  Mr. Deutch has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1970, and has served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Science and Provost.  Mr. Deutch has published over 120 technical publications in physical chemistry, as well as numerous publications on technology, international security and public policy issues.

Mr. Deutch earned undergraduate degrees at Amherst and MIT, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT.


Murray Gell-Mann is a Professor of the Santa Fe Institute and Co-Chair of its Science Board.  He is also the R.A. Millikan Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology.  He is famous for his research in the area of elementary particle theory and was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Professor Gell-Mann has served on the former President's Science Advisory Committee, and he is currently a director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Society.

Professor Gell-Mann was born in New York City, attended Yale University, and received his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT.  He is the recipient of numerous honorary Doctorates in Science.


David A. Hamburg is President Emeritus of Carnegie Corporation of New York.  He was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Reed-Hodgson Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University; then President of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; later, he was President, and then Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  He has also served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Dr. Hamburg was born in Evansville, Indiana, and received his M.D. from Indiana University.
 


John P. Holdren is the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, as well as Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, at Harvard University.  A member of the National Academy of Sciences and Chair of its Committee on International Security and Arms Control, he has written extensively on energy technology and policy, global environmental problems and national security issues.

Dr. Holdren was born in Sewickley, PA and grew up in San Mateo, CA.  He was trained in aeronautics and astronautics and in theoretical plasma physics at MIT and Stanford.


Diana MacArthur is Chair, CEO, and co-founder of Dynamac Corporation, a firm providing integrated environmental services, including life sciences consulting, natural resources management, and hazardous waste engineering.  Previously, she served as president of a Dynamac subsidiary engaged in technology transfer, training, education, and communications in the areas of health, the environment, and safety.  Mrs. MacArthur is a member of the Advisory Committee to the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a member of the Council on Competitiveness and the Business Higher Education Forum.

Mrs. MacArthur was born in Santa Fe, NM, and received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College.


Shirley M. Malcom is Head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  A former high school teacher and university professor, she has been nationally recognized for her efforts to improve educational opportunities for under-represented groups and to promote broader public understanding of science and technology.

Dr. Malcom is the author of numerous publications on equity and education, and serves on a number of advisory committees relating to the evaluation of educational reform.  She is a former member of the National Science Board.

Dr. Malcom received her Ph.D. in ecology from The Pennsylvania State University, Master's degree in zoology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Bachelor's degree with distinction in zoology from the University of Washington.


Mario J. Molina is the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  He has served on federal advisory committees for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Molina is a former Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab.  His area of expertise is chemistry of the stratosphere, and he was a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for aiding the understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion.

Dr. Molina was an undergraduate at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and he received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.


Peter H. Raven is Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis.  He has served as a member of the National Science Board, is the Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, and is Chairman of the Report Review Committee of the National Research Council.  He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Dr. Raven was the co-recipient of the 1995 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa Environment Prize for his contributions to the protection and management of the environment.

Dr. Raven is a member of the editorial board of numerous scientific publications, and has contributed more than 400 articles to professional journals.  He has been awarded 14 honorary degrees in science.

Born in Shanghai, China, Dr. Raven graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and received his Ph.D. from UCLA.
 


Sally K. Ride  is a former astronaut and current Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego.  Dr. Ride was the Director of the California Space Institute from 1989-1996.  She is an author of three children's books and was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.

Dr. Ride was born in Los Angeles.  She studied English and physics as an undergraduate and earned her Ph.D. in physics, all at Stanford University.


Judith Rodin  is the President of the University of Pennsylvania, and a professor of psychology, medicine and psychiatry.  Her research interest has focused on the relationship between psychological and biological processes in human health and behavior.

Dr. Rodin is a member of the board of directors of Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Aetna Life & Casualty Company and AMR Corporation, and she is a member of the board of trustees of the Brookings Institution and the board of directors of Catalyst.  She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Rodin attended the University of Pennsylvania before receiving her Ph.D. from Columbia University.


Charles A. Sanders is Chairman and CEO of Glaxo Inc., and a member of the board of Glaxo-Wellcome Holdings, Merrill Lynch & Co., Reynolds Metals, and Morton International Inc.  He formerly held the position of chief executive officer of the science and technology division of Squibb Corporation.  Previously, he was general director of Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Sanders is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy complex and serves as Chairman of Project HOPE and the Commonwealth Fund.

Dr. Sanders is a native of Dallas and a graduate of the Southwestern Medical College of the University of Texas.


David E. Shaw is the chairman and chief executive officer of D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc., a global investment band whose activities center on various aspects of the intersection between technology and finance.  He also serves as chairman of Juno Online Services, L.P., the nation's second largest online service, and of Schrodinger, Inc., a provider of computational chemistry software.

Earlier, Dr. Shaw served on the faculty of the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University, and as a vice president at Morgan Stanley & Co.  The author of numerous publications on science, technology, and public policy, he is a member of  the  Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of  Science,  a member of the Executive Committee of the Council on Competitiveness and a past member of the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Shaw graduated from the University of California, San Diego.  He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, where his research centered on massively parallel supercomputing.
 


Charles M. Vest is President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.  He is a former Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  His research interests are in the areas of heat transfer, fluid mechanics and optics.

Dr. Vest serves on the Board of Directors for IBM and the E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company.  He is a trustee of the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Dr. Vest attended the University of WV before receiving his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.


Virginia V. Weldon is Director of the Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University in St. Louis and former Senior Vice President for Public Policy for the Monsanto Company.  She is a former professor of pediatrics, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, and Vice President of the Medical Center at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.  She previously served as Chair of the Assembly of the Association of American Medical Colleges and as a member of the Board of Directors of Southwestern Bell.  She currently is a member of the Board of Directors for G.D. Searle & Co., The Nutrasweet Corporation, and the General American Life Insurance Company.

Dr. Weldon is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Association.  her research interests are in the area of growth disorders and hormone secretion in children.

Dr. Weldon was born in Toronto, Canada, and is an U.S. citizen.  She received her bachelor's degree from Smith College and her M.D. from the State University of New York, Buffalo.
 


Lilian Shiao-Yen Wu  Lilian Shiao-Yen Wu is a Research Scientist and Consultant, Corporate Technical Strategy Development, IBM. She is also a Director of the International Institute of Forecasters, and is currently serving on the National Research Council's Committee on Women in Science and Technology.

Dr. Wu's accomplishments include the development of innovative mathematical models and statistical methods for business forecasting and planning, and the implementation of those methods in business
practice.

Dr. Wu was born in Beijing, China.  She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Cornell University.


President's Committee of Advisors
on Science and Technology
(PCAST)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W
Washington, DC 20502
202.456.6100
mailto:ostpinfo@ostp.eop.gov


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