President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Patrick Gallagher, current Deputy Director of NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology), as Director of the agency.

Gallagher joined NIST in 1993 as an instrument scientist at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). He became Director of the NCNR in 2004, where he served until assuming his current duties as NIST Deputy Director in September 2008. He has been active in the area of U.S. policy for scientific user facilities and was chair of the Interagency Working Group on neutron and light source facilities under the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Read the announcement from the White House press office.

Read the NIST press release.

Read Gallagher's biography on the NIST website.