Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson has been selected as an International Fellow of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering. 

Announcing the 2012 Class of Fellows today, Sir John Parker, GBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said, “We welcome our new Fellows – the collective expertise and vision of the best engineers is what drives our ambitious agenda and makes so many good things possible.”

According to the Royal Academy, Dr. Jackson was chosen for her “research and leadership experience in industry, education, and government as well as her expertise in high-energy physics.” She is one of only four International Fellows in the 2012 Class.

“Selection as an International Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering is only for those at the pinnacle of engineering achievement,” said retired U.S. Court of Appeals Senior Circuit Judge Arthur J. Gajarsa ’62, chairman of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees. “President Jackson has left her mark in engineering and related fields throughout her career, whether at Bell Labs, in the nuclear energy arena, or more recently focusing locally, nationally, and globally to harness scientific discovery and technological innovation to spark the economy and to meet the grand challenges and opportunities of our time. The Rensselaer community benefits from and is extremely proud of President Jackson’s achievements.”  

A theoretical physicist, Dr. Jackson has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and academe. Her research and policy focus includes global energy security and the national capacity for innovation, including addressing what she has dubbed the “Quiet Crisis” of looming gaps in the science, technology, and engineering workforce and reduced support for basic research.

Dr. Jackson was chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from1995 to 1999, and currently is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), co-chairs the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC), and is a member of the U.S. Department of State International Security Advisory Board (ISAB).

She also is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She is a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, and a member of the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Brookings Institution. She is a vice-chair of the Council on Competitiveness and co-chaired its Energy Security, Innovation and Sustainability initiative. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of global companies including IBM and FedEx.

The Royal Academy of Engineering:  Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. Their fellowship - comprising the UK's most eminent engineers - provides the leadership and expertise for their activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, they provide independent and impartial advice to Government; work to secure the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice for Britain's engineering community.

For the announcement go to: http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=776

For more information about the Royal Academy of Engineering go to: http://www.raeng.org.uk/

For more information about the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellows go to: http://www.raeng.org.uk/about/fellowship/default.htm

Royal Academy Contact:

Sarah Griffiths, Press and Communications Officer, The Royal Academy of Engineering.     

+44 (0) 207 766 0655 sarah.griffiths@raeng.org.uk