CHIPS for America is made up of the CHIPS Program Office, which is in charge of semiconductor incentives, and the CHIPS R&D Office.
Laurie E. Locascio, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology will announce the appointment of five leaders to the CHIPS Research and Development Office within CHIPS for America.
In order to restore semiconductor production to the US and maintain the nation’s position as a global leader in technology and innovation, CHIPS for America was founded by landmark legislation.
The leaders bring the depth and breadth of organisational, programmatic, and technical leadership experience that CHIPS needs to establish new, transformative R&D programmes, according to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
To maintain the technological edge of America’s semiconductor manufacturing base, Locascio is creating a national R&D ecosystem. To accomplish this, they require the best talent in the nation to carry out their vision and advance CHIPS for America and the country’s semiconductor industry.
The announced CHIPS Research and Development (R&D) Office leaders are:
Lora Weiss, Director
Eric Lin, Deputy Director
Neil Alderoty, Executive Officer
Richard-Duane Chambers, Associate Director for Integration and Policy
Marla Dowell, Director of the CHIPS R&D Metrology Program
The CHIPS R&D Office is in charge of four integrated programmes that will produce innovations that will make American semiconductor manufacturers competitive on a global scale. CHIPS for America is made up of the CHIPS Program Office, which is in charge of semiconductor incentives, and the CHIPS R&D Office.
The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, up to three new Manufacturing USA semiconductor institutes, and CHIPS R&D Metrology Program are the four programmes.
CHIPS Research and Development Office Leaders
Lora Weiss, Director of CHIPS Research and Development
At Pennsylvania State University, where she currently holds the position of senior vice president for research and is responsible for managing 12 academic colleges’ research, seven interdisciplinary research institutes, the Applied Research Lab, and offices for sponsored programmes, research protections, industry partnerships, technology transfer, innovation, economic development, and commercialization, Lora Weiss will lead the CHIPS R&D Office.
She spent 13 years at Georgia Tech before moving to Penn State, where she held the positions of senior vice president and director (interim) of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Weiss has more than 30 years of experience working in higher education and is a skilled scientist and educator.
Eric Lin, Deputy Director of CHIPS Research and Development
Since September 2022, Eric Lin has held the position of interim director of CHIPS R&D, representing CHIPS internationally and assisting in the development of its programmes. He previously held the positions of acting associate director for Laboratory Programs at NIST and director of the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory.
Lin graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering and Stanford University with a doctorate and master’s in the field. His work has aided the multi-agency Materials Genome Initiative as well as significant technological fields like advanced manufacturing and advanced electronics.
Neil Alderoty, Executive Officer for CHIPS Research and Development
As executive officer, Neil Alderoty has joined CHIPS R&D and is in charge of all business operations and financial matters. Over the course of his more than 30 years of service to NIST, he has held a number of positions, including acting chief financial officer and head of the division in charge of managing grants and agreements.
He directed NIST’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and oversaw the development of several software tools, including a hazard assessment tool. For his work on a team that obtained an unqualified opinion on an audit of NIST financial statements, he has received numerous awards, including a NIST Bronze and a Department of Commerce Silver Medal.
Richard-Duane Chambers, Associate Director for Integration and Policy
Richard-Duane Chambers joins CHIPS R&D as the associate director for integration and policy, in charge of managing the workforce, interagency integration, international ties, and standards in addition to coordinating policies and strategies.
He previously worked as the chief of staff for the Subcommittee on Space and Science at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
To increase support for the CHIPS and Science Act, he also contributed analysis of semiconductor technology and manufacturing trends. Chambers holds a bachelor’s in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a master’s in technology and policy.
Marla Dowell, Director of the CHIPS Research and Development Metrology Program
Marla Dowell will expand and advance NIST’s efforts to provide a solid measurement science foundation for the semiconductor industry in her new role as director of the Metrology Program at CHIPS R&D. She started working for NIST as a researcher in the field of optical metrology for photolithography, and she has won many accolades.
In addition to serving on external advisory committees for research innovation, photonics, and communications, Dowell has represented NIST on national and international standards committees for optics and photonics. She has an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.