This is a bit dated, at least by blogging standards.  But since we’re in that period between announcement and event, it’s still of the moment.

National Institutes of Health Director Elias Zerhouni will step down at the end of this month.  He has served in the position since 2002, overseeing the end of the doubling of the NIH budget and the rise of current agita over the increasing difficulty of biomedical researchers have in obtaining federal grants.

Worth noting is that the NIH director position is often left open for considerable periods of time.  The gap between Dr. Zerhouni and his predecessor is over two years.  There is a good chance that his successor will be appointed by the next President.

That said, it’s worth noting that his successor will probably be appointed long before the successor to the National Science Foundation Director, Arden Bement.  The NSF director is a 6-year term appointment, and Dr. Bement was appointed in 2004.

Since the current administration has difficulty passing legislation it wants, it remains to be seen whether it will want to go through a confirmation hearing that may attract some opposition, depending on who they choose to fill the position.