BiographyDr. Rita Colwell joined Canon U.S. Life Sciences as Chairman of the Board in early 2004, after serving as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1998 to 2004. Her policy approach enabled the NSF to establish support for major initiatives, including Nanotechnology, Biocomplexity, and Information Technology. Under her leadership, the NSF enjoyed significant budget increases, recently reaching a level of more than $5.6 billion. Dr. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the U.S. government, in non-profit science-policy organizations, and within private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. She is a renowned scientist and educator, and has authored 16 books and more than 600 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film Invisible Seas, and has served on the editorial boards of numerous scientific journals. Prior to joining the NSF, Dr. Colwell was President of the University of Maryland’s Biotechnology Institute, and a member of the National Science Board.