First Woman Nominated To Lead The National Academy Of Sciences

Geophysicist Marcia K. McNutt has been nominated to become the 22nd president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). If elected by a NAS committee later this year—a virtual certainty as NAS selects only one nominee—she will become the first woman president of the interdisciplinary science organization since its founding in 1863.

“Marcia McNutt’s nomination is a historic first for the NAS,” says Glenn S. Ruskin, director of the American Chemical Society’s Office of Public Affairs. “She is a highly accomplished scientist who will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the NAS.”

McNutt is editor-in-chief of the Science research journals, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was previously director of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute as well as a geophysics professor at Stanford University.

NAS consists of elected members who are charged with giving the government independent advice on science and technology policy issues. Congress and federal agencies regularly turn to the prestigious committees of the academy to examine critical issues such as nuclear security, education policy, and climate change.

If elected, McNutt will take over NAS on July 1, 2016, after the term of current president Ralph J. Cicerone ends.