Unanimously confirmed by the Senate last week, Panchanathan, 58, from the Arizona State University, replaces White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Dr Kelvin Droegemeier who served as Acting Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Subra Suresh is one of the only 16 living Americans to be elected to all three national academies, the IOM, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.