Merlin Theodore, a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has received a presidential appointment to the National Science Board. Theodore will join the 25-member board for a six-year term.
According to ORNL's press release, Theodore is the first full-time researcher from a national laboratory to serve on the National Science Board, the governing board for the National Science Foundation (NSF).
“Merlin’s appointment to the National Science Board is indicative of her accomplishments as a researcher, her contributions to national missions, and her advocacy for women and minorities in science,” said interim ORNL Director Jeff Smith in a statement.
The National Science Board (NSB) is an independent body of advisors to the President and Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering.
In addition to preliminary reports, the NSB publishes policy papers on issues of importance to U.S. science and engineering. The NSB is made up of 25 members appointed by the President. Members serve six-year terms.
Before coming to ORNL, Theodore worked at SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber, and at Universal Technology Corporation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where she served as technical coordinator for the minority leaders program.
The program fosters student success in graduate engineering degrees at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving minority institutions (HSIs).
As the leader of ORNL's Manufacturing Science Division’s advanced fibers group and director of the materials and processing technology area for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, Theodore directs material research efforts and works with industry to enhance U.S. competitiveness in advanced manufacturing. She also holds a joint appointment with the University of Tennessee.
She has authored more than 30 open literature publications, holds multiple U.S. patents, and has received numerous internal and external awards. She has served by invitation on scientific and technical review panels, women in science panels, and committees.
A native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Theodore began her studies at a North Carolina junior college on a softball scholarship. She subsequently earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Alabama’s Tuskegee University.
🎉 CONGRATS 🎉 ORNL's Merlin Theodore has received a presidential appointment to the @NSF_NSB. She is one of eight new board members announced by @POTUS and will join the 25-member board for a six-year term. https://t.co/TFfY1lC38b
— Oak Ridge Lab (@ORNL) January 22, 2023
