Patrick Gallagher, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has named Uma Chowdhry of DuPont to serve on the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT), the agency's primary private-sector policy advisory group. Chowdhry—who will serve a three-year term starting on October 1, 2010—brings the body's number to 14.
Chowdhry is Chief Science and Technology Officer Emeritus at DuPont, a position she assumed in September 2010 after announcing her plans to retire at the end of this year. She was senior vice president and chief science and technology officer (CSTO) at DuPont from 2006-2010. Chowdhry joined DuPont in 1977 as a research scientist, subsequently took on various research and management roles, and in December, 2004, she assumed responsibility for the company's core research programs. In June 2006, she was appointed to the CSTO position, in which she has been responsible for the company's market-driven science and technology-based innovations. In 1996, Chowdhry was elected as a member of National Academy of Engineering. She received a B.S. in physics from the Indian Institute of Science, Mumbai University, an M.S. in engineering science from the California Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The VCAT was established by Congress in 1988 to review and make recommendations on NIST's policies, organization, budget and programs. The VCAT chair is Vinton Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google. VCAT's vice chair is Alan Taub, vice president for global research and development at General Motors.