SANDY SCHAEFFERNational Science Foundation (NSF) Director Subra Suresh announced on Tuesday (February 5) that he would step down at the end of March, having served approximately 2 1/2 years of his 6-year term. Suresh will become the president of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on July 1.
In a letter Suresh wrote to his staff announcing his departure, the engineer and materials scientist reflected on his achievements at the agency, including working to fund interdisciplinary projects and encouraging researchers to think about commercial uses for their work. “Despite the economic crisis and lingering uncertainties that have ensued, the NSF funding has sustained growth through the turbulent times of the recent past,” he wrote.
Suresh, whom President Barack Obama appointed in October 2010, will have served the second shortest term in the agency’s history. Cora Marrett, current NSF deputy director and previously the acting NSF director for 6 months in 2010, will take over as the $7 billion-dollar agency’s acting director until a permanent replacement is appointed by President Obama and approved by ...
