Emilio Moran, a renowned social and environmental scientist and Michigan State University Hannah Distinguished Professor, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation.
A pioneer in the field of environmental research, Moran will begin his six-year term after he is sworn in at the board’s next meeting in early November.
“I am honored to have been nominated and appointed to the National Science Board,” Moran said. “This is a group of eminent scientists and industry innovators who try to make sure that the investments made in science and technology at the National Science Foundation are directed at the best science and at the needs of the nation. Being part of such decisions is a great responsibility.”
The 24-member board and the NSF director are jointly responsible for recommending and encouraging the pursuit of national policies for the promotion of research and education in science and engineering. The board also influences the research direction of the NSF and acts as an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on matters of policy.
Moran, who joined the MSU faculty in 2013, is a professor in the Department of Geography and a researcher in the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations and Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability.
“We are all extremely proud that Dr. Moran has been appointed to this position,” said Rachel Croson, dean of the College of Social Science. “His unique research expertise, blending the social and the natural sciences, will contribute significantly to the National Science Foundation, and to our nation.”
The author of 11 books and more than 200 journal articles, Moran was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2010. His work combines the natural and social sciences to understand human-environment interactions.
“I hope that my long history of interdisciplinary research linking the natural and the social sciences will bring useful insights to the discussions of the complex science issues and problems that society faces that require a diverse range of disciplines,” Moran said.
Read the White House news release here.