NIST Director to Depart Role at Year’s End

Laurie Locascio will leave her position as Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the turn of the year. She has been selected by the board of the American National Standards Institute to serve as its CEO starting in January of 2025.

Locascio is a biomedical engineer and analytical chemist by training, and has published 115 scientific papers and holds 12 patents in bioengineering and analytical chemistry. Her expertise has earned her fellowships in several prestigious organizations, including the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Before her current role, Locascio had a long and distinguished career at NIST, spanning 31 years. She started as a research biomedical engineer and rose through the ranks to lead the agency’s Material Measurement Laboratory. She also served as the acting associate director for laboratory programs, the second-highest position at NIST.

Locascio was nominated by President Joe Biden in July of 2021 for the position of Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, and sworn in as NIST director the following April.

Now, she’s poised to depart for ANSI, a private, non-profit organization that oversees the development and promotion of voluntary consensus standards in the US. Unlike NIST, ANSI does not set standards itself, but instead accredits organizations that do. ANSI also represents the U.S. in international standardization organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

In a statement to Nextgov/FCW, NIST confirmed Locascio’s departure while emphasizing the important role she will play, particularly with respect to artificial intelligence, in the remainder of her term.

“She will continue to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director until then, providing leadership for important programs such as the CHIPS for America program and NIST’s extensive work in AI, including the U.S. AI Safety Institute,” the agency said.

Source: Nextgov/FCW

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October 22, 2024 – by Alex Perala