Biomedical researcher Laurie Locascio tapped to lead NIST

President Joe Biden has picked interdisciplinary researcher and innovator Laurie E. Locascio for the top spot at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Locascio is currently the vice president for research at the University of Maryland, where she oversees research, technology commercialization, and strategic partnerships on the College Park and Baltimore campuses.

In that role, she has connected scientists with entrepreneurs to help them launch businesses based on laboratory discoveries. She is also a professor of bioengineering at UMD and a professor of pharmacology at its medical school.

Locascio is no stranger to NIST. She previously served as the agency’s acting principal deputy director and associate director for laboratory programs, after a decades-long research career at NIST that included several other leadership positions. She holds a PhD in toxicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, an MSc in bioengineering from the University of Utah, and a BSc in chemistry from James Madison University.

If confirmed by the Senate, Locascio would be the third woman to serve as the head of NIST. She “will undoubtedly inspire rising generations across the country as they see more female representation in leadership positions,” Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, says in a statement.

Locascio would be returning to NIST at a time when the agency is expected to expand its research programs in areas such as quantum science and artificial intelligence, as well as boost its advanced manufacturing programs.