Dr. Shirley Ann JacksoN

President
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Director since 2000, Age 63 (as of February 1, 2010).

Dr. Jackson received a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1968 and a doctorate in theoretical elementary particle physics in 1973 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was a research associate at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a visiting scientist at the European Center for Nuclear Research and, from 1976 to 1991, a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories.

Dr. Jackson was a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University from 1991 to 1995. She was Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999. Dr. Jackson was named President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1999.

Dr. Jackson holds 45 honorary degrees, was awarded the New Jersey Governor's Award in Science in 1993, was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998 and named a fellow of the Association for Women in Science in 2004. In 2005, she chaired the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was President in 2004, and currently is a fellow. Dr. Jackson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and American Philosophical Society, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science and of the American Physical Society, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2009 she was appointed to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Dr. Jackson serves on the Boards of Directors of FedEx Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, Medtronic, Inc. and Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated. She is also Chairman of NYSE Regulation, Inc. Within the past five years, Dr. Jackson also previously served as a director of AT&T Corp., NYSE Euronext and United States Steel Corporation. She is a member of the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, and a life member of the M.I.T. Corporation. Dr. Jackson also serves as the University Vice Chairman of the U.S. Council on Competiveness, and co-chaired its Energy Security, Sustainability, and Innovation initiative.