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 You are in: Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs > Office of the Science & Technology (S&T) Adviser > STAS Biographies 

Atkinson, George H., Dr.

BIOGRAPHY

Photo of Dr. George H. AtkinsonDr. George H. Atkinson
S&T Adviser to the Secretary of State
Office of the Science and Technology Adviser

Dr. George Atkinson was selected in 2003 by Secretary of State Colin Powell to become the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State (STAS). As STAS, he is the principal interlocutor for Science and Technology (S&T) at the Department of State. He is responsible for increasing the S&T capacity in the Department of State and for Addressing both contemporaneous and emerging S&T issues affecting U.S. foreign policy. In fulfilling these responsibilities, Dr. Atkinson initiated the Jefferson Science Fellows program, engaged in numerous ongoing foreign policy discussions having significant S&T elements, and developed a wide range of new programs designed to incorporate "at-the-horizon" S&T advances into a proactive, anticipatory discussion of U.S. foreign policy.

Dr. George Atkinson served as the first American Institute of Physics (AIP) Senior Fellow for Science, Technology, and Diplomacy at the U.S. Department o State (2001-02). He was selected as the result of a national competition conducted by AIP and the U.S. Department of State. From 2002 to 2003, Dr. Atkinson served in the Department of State as Senior Advisor for Science and Technology, working with the national Intelligence Council.

Dr. Atkinson remains a Professor of Chemistry and Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (on leave). He is the recipient of many awards, including the Senior Alexander von Humboldt Award (Germany), the Senior Fulbright Award (Germany), the Lady Davis Professorship (Israel), and the SERC Award (Great Britain). He has been a visiting professor at distinguished Universities and research institutions in Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, and France. He recently received an honorary doctorate from Eckerd College, the Distinguished Alumni Science Award from Indiana University, and was selected for the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellows Series by the University of California Irvine. He has also received numerous awards in recognition of his teaching, including "outstanding teacher at he University of Arizona" as selected by the students.

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