Georgia Tech President Tapped for Reappointment to the National Science Board

The White House has announced its intent to reappoint Georgia Institute of Technology President G.P. “Bud” Peterson to the National Science Board (NSB), National Science Foundation.

Peterson was first appointed to the NSB in 2008 by President George W. Bush. He has served as the chair of the Audit and Oversight Committee charged with ensuring that the National Science Foundation is properly evaluating and managing its operational risks.  

Since assuming the role as president of the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009, Peterson has strengthened the Institute’s national leadership position in innovation, expanded strategic partnerships, and championed leadership in education and research. He also holds the position of professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech.

Throughout his career, Peterson has played an active role in helping establish the national education and research agendas, serving on numerous industry, government and academic task forces and committees. Peterson served as the chancellor and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado – Boulder from 2006 to 2009. He was provost of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 2000 to 2006. For 19 years, Peterson served in a variety of progressively responsible leadership roles at Texas A&M University, including associate vice chancellor and executive associate dean of engineering from 1996 to 2000. 

Peterson has worked as a research scientist at NASA and at the National Science Foundation. In 2011, President Obama appointed him to the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership steering committee and in September 2013 appointed him to the AMP 2.0 steering committee.

Peterson is a fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and received the AIAA Distinguished Service Award in 2011. His research has focused on phase-change heat transfer in both the cooling of electronic devices and spacecraft thermal control. He is widely published, authoring or co-authoring 16 books or book chapters, 210 refereed journal articles, and more than 170 conference publications. He also holds nine patents with two others pending.

He earned B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics and an M.S. in engineering from Kansas State University, and a Ph. D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. He and Val Peterson have been married for 40 years and have four adult children.

The NSB is the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation. NSB also advises the President and Congress on science and engineering policy issues. The Board's 24 members are drawn primarily from universities and industry and represent a variety of science and engineering disciplines. Selected for their eminence in research, education or public service and records of distinguished service, Board members serve six-year terms.