Senate confirms Obama pick Subra Suresh to lead National Science Foundation
MIT’s Subra Suresh has been confirmed by the Senate to start a six-year-term as director of the National Science Foundation.
President Barack Obama’s nominee for the job is the 54-year-old dean of the engineering school at MIT. Suresh’s background is in mechanical engineering and materials science and biology. He joined MIT in 1993, and conducted his studies in India, Iowa and at MIT itself.
Suresh replaces Arden Bement, Jr., who took on the job in 2004 and recently resigned.
Suresh will oversee an agency with a $6.9 billion budget for 2010 and hopes for a half a billion dollar increase for 2011.
Among the NSF’s latest projects has been funneling $32 million in grants to researchers assigned to remake the Internet into a more secure and flexible system.
