Cherry A. Murray

Cherry A. Murray is Professor of Physics and Deputy Director for Research, Biosphere2 at the University of Arizona and Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Physics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Emerita at Harvard University. She was elected one of the six co-chairs of the InterAcademy Partnership in 2019. She served as Dean of Harvard University’s Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences from 2009 to 2014. Dr. Murray was confirmed by the Senate on December 10, 2015, and sworn in on December 18, 2015, as the Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, serving in that role until January 13, 2017. Dr. Murray has served as principal associate director for science and technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and as the president of the American Physical Society. Before joining Lawrence Livermore in 2004, she had a distinguished career at Bell Laboratories. She has served on more than 80 national and international scientific advisory committees, governing boards, and National Research Council (NRC) panels, including chairing the Division of Engineering and Physical Science of the NRC. She was a member of the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board in 2013-2015 and also served on the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories. Dr. Murray was appointed to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling in 2010. In 2014, Dr. Murray was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Murray was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2017, and she currently serves as Chair of the Physics membership panel, a member of the Finance Committee and a member of the Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships project. Previously, she served as a member of the Academy’s ARISE II project (Advancing Research in Science and Engineering: The Role of Academia, Industry, and Government in the 21st Century) and also served on the Class I:5 (Engineering and Technology) membership panel.