Colwell Leaves NSF

Microbiologist Rita Colwell resigned as director of NSF in February, several months short of the official end of her six-year appointment to the position. Colwell, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998, said she was stepping down to become chair of Canon Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Canon USA Inc.

In a statement, Colwell said she was grateful to have led NSF “through two administrations and major transformational changes.” She noted that NSF’s budget has increased 68% under her leadership and that “our programs have helped US science and engineering evolve into the flexible, robust, and diverse endeavors that they must become to keep America preeminent at the frontier of research and education.” She said that she championed the increases in research grant amounts, which rose from an average $90 000 in 1998 to $142 000 now.

Colwell will also serve as Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. NIST Director Arden Bement will serve as the acting director of NSF until Colwell’s replacement is named.