Locascio confirmed as NIST director

Biomedical engineer Laurie Locascio was confirmed April 7 by the US Senate as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and undersecretary for standards and technology at the Department of Commerce. Since 2017, Locascio has been vice president for research at the University of Maryland, overseeing research at the school’s Baltimore and College Park campuses. But the position at NIST is a homecoming for Locascio, who spent the first 30 years of her career there. “I am truly honored and excited to return to NIST to take on this role!” Locascio wrote on her LinkedIn page. She held multiple leadership positions at the lab, most recently as director of NIST’s Material Measurement Laboratory from 2012 to 2017 and as chief of its Biochemical Science Division from 2006 to 2012. Locascio has a bachelor’s in chemistry from James Madison University, a master’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Utah, and a PhD in toxicology/pharmacology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. “Dr. Locascio is a widely respected scientist and innovator who brings extensive experience to her new role,” US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, says in a statement.