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Dr. Neal Lane
Dr. Neal Lane
Science advisor to President William Clinton
August 1998 - January 2001

Dr. Neal Lane gave a public talk on October 5, 2005 on the CU-Boulder campus.

October 5, 2005
Dr. Neal Lane public lecture

View Dr. Lane's presentation
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Read transcript of the event

Dr. Neal F. Lane was sworn in as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in August 1998.

Prior to moving to the Executive Office of the President, Dr. Lane was Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from October 1993 and served on the National Science Board.

Before becoming NSF Director, Dr. Lane was Provost and Professor of Physics at Rice University in Houston, Texas, a position he held since 1986. His tenure at Rice began in 1966, when he joined the Department of Physics as an assistant professor. In 1972, he became Professor of Physics and Space Physics and Astronomy. He left Rice from mid-1984 to 1986 to serve as Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In addition, while on leave from Rice from 1979 to 1980, he worked for the National Science Foundation as the Director of the Division of Physics.  He returned to Rice following his position as Science Advisor to President Clinton where he is the Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly University Professor at Rice University.  He also holds appointments as Senior Fellow of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, where he is engaged in matters of science and technology policy, and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.    

Widely regarded as a distinguished scientist and educator, Dr. Lane has published numerous papers on atomic and molecular physics, and has delivered many lectures on science and public policy. Early in his career, he received an NSF Post-doctoral Fellowship and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship. He earned Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1960 and was inducted into Sigma Xi National Research Society in 1964, serving as its president in 1993. While a Professor at Rice, he was a two-time recipient of the University's George R. Brown Prize for Superior Teaching. Dr. Lane has also received honorary degrees from several institutions of higher education.

Through his work with scientific and professional organizations and his participation on review and advisory committees for various Federal and state agencies, Dr. Lane has contributed to public service throughout his career. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1938, Dr. Lane earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Joni Sue, have two children and two grandchildren.