President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Shirley Ann Jackson is the 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn., the oldest technological research university in the U.S. Described by Time magazine as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,” Jackson has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and academia.

Shirley Ann Jackson has held senior leadership and advisory positions in government, industry, research, and academe. Her research and policy focus includes global energy security and the national capacity for innovation, including addressing the "Quiet Crisis" in the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. She is the former president, and chair of the Board, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, The American Philosophical Society, the Council on Foreign Relations; and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the AAAS. She is a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, and serves on the board of directors of NYSE Euronext and chairs the NYSE Regulation Board. She is a director of IBM, FedEx, Marathon Oil, Medtronic, and PSEG. Dr. Jackson served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999. She holds an S.B. in physics and a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from M.I.T., and 43 honorary doctoral degrees. Describing her as "a national treasure," the National Science Board selected Jackson as its 2007 recipient of the Vannevar Bush Award for "a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy."