Biochemist Sudip Parikh named head of AAAS

Biochemist Sudip Parikh has been named the next chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Parikh is currently senior vice president of the nonprofit Drug Information Association (DIA) Global. “In this extraordinary era of advances and challenges, science must be integral to decision-making at every policy table and kitchen table,” Parikh says in a statement. Before joining DIA Global, Parikh was a vice president at Battelle overseeing its health-focused unit. He also spent 8 years as a staff member of the US Senate Appropriations Committee. Parikh got his PhD in biochemistry from Scripps Research Institute in 2000. In addition to his position as AAAS CEO, he will serve as executive publisher of Science and the society’s other research journals. Parikh “brings significant expertise working across scientific, business and policy sectors in the United States and globally,” says Claire Fraser, the association’s president-elect and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in the statement. Parikh replaces Rush Holt, the physicist and former congressman who led the organization from 2015 to earlier this year.