Board of Directors

Ben Austin is Vice President, Marketing and Communications for the World Science Festival. The inaugural Festival in May 2008 in New York City featured three days of programs exploring the many ways in which scientific discovery and innovation are shaping modern life, attracting over 120,000 people . Previously, he was a public relations and marketing consultant at Beijing Med-Pharm, which links U.S. and Western pharmaceutical companies to the Chinese marketplace. Prior to his position at Beijing Med-Pharm, he managed marketing programs and developed business strategies for several technology and software companies. In 2004, Austin worked as the marketing and communications lead for Caroline Kennedy at the New York City Dept. of Education, highlighting the effort to raise private funds for the city’s public schools.  He began his career as a scientist.  He received a BS in Chemistry with honors and a BA from Stanford University, and worked as a molecular biologist at Rockefeller University and Genentech.

Cameron D. Bess is a Graduate Fellow in Cellular Biophysics at Rockefeller University. Mr. Bess is the President and Co-Coordinator of Student Pugwash at Rockefeller University. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Society of Microbiologists, and the American Society for Cell Biology. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with honors from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2002.

Paul Billings, M.D., Ph.D., a board certified internist and clinical geneticist, was appointed as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Cellpoint Diagnostics (CPD) in February, 2008. CPD, a Mohr, Davidow Ventures backed enterprise, seeks to revolutionize cancer care through the provision of products and services focused on circulating tumor cells. Dr. Billings is also Executive Chairman of Signature Genomics Laboratories LLC, and serves on the Board of Directors of BioScale Inc., Cyntellect Inc., Lipomics, Inc. and several not-for-profit public interest organizations. Until September 2007, he was Senior Vice President and Senior Geneticist at Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Inc. He has been Professor of Anthropology (adjunct) at the University of California at Berkeley and has published extensively on topics in immunology, genetics and medicine. Dr. Billings has interest and expertise in diagnostics in medical care and genomic medicine

Jeffrey H. Boutwell, M.Sc., Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. He works with the Pugwash leadership to set agendas for Pugwash workshops on international security issues, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Prior to joining the Pugwash Conferences, Dr. Boutwell was Associate Executive Director and Program Director of International Security Studies at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts for 18 years. He has published several books and monographs, along with many articles and book chapters, pertaining to nuclear weapons and security policy. He received his M.Sc. in Economics from London School of Economics and his Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT.

Rita Colwell, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Chairman of Canon US Life Sciences, Inc.. Her interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health, and she is currently developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world. Previously, she served as the 11 th Director of the National Science Foundation, 1998-2004. Before going to NSF, she was President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and she has also been awarded 47 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education. She holds a B.S. in Bacteriology and an M.S. in Genetics, from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington.

Kyle Gracey, Vice President & Secretary is a Research Scientist and former Interim Communications Manager at Global Footprint Network. He is the former Chair and a Board Director of SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development, and delegate to more than a dozen United Nations negotiations on climate, social development, and sustainable development. He was recently an Energy and Climate Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, and continues to work on Worldwatch's efforts around the 2012 Sustainable Development Conference, Rio+20. He also recently worked in the Speechwriting office for U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and was a consultant with the Gade Environmental Group. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with B.S. degrees in Ecological Economics and Biochemistry/Biophysics, where he is their only Harry S. Truman Scholarship recipient, and from the University of Chicago with an M.S. in the Physical Sciences Division and Harris Public Policy School, where he was a Harris Fellow. He also investigated international development and environment issues at The American University in Washington, DC and in Brazil, Israel, Iceland, and the United Arab Emirates. Kyle worked in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as an Environmental Policy Analyst analyzing biofuels, hydrogen, congestion, and air quality, and managing research grants, and as an International Economist Graduate Intern in the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs during the financial crisis, and was an Education Docent at the National Aquarium. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Truman Scholars Association, and is the Treaties Task Force Co-Chair at the Society for Conservation Biology. He is a Life Member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. His publications, media interviews, and presentations number over 100.

Debra JH Mathews, Ph.D., M.A., Vice Chair, is the Assistant Director for Science Programs for the Phoebe R Berman Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Mathews earned her B.S. in Biology from the Pennsylvania State University and a PhD in genetics from Case Western Reserve University. Concurrent with her PhD, she earned a Master’s degree in bioethics, also from Case. She completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in genetics at Johns Hopkins, where she continued her work on human genetic variation and human population history. She also completed the Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics and Health Policy, which is jointly administered by Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities. As a Greenwall Fellow, Dr. Mathews worked at the Genetics and Public Policy Center, researching the views of geneticists on their role(s) in science policy formation and public engagement. In addition, during a three-month internship at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Office of Science and Data Policy, she worked with the Privacy Advocate on issues related to large data systems. As the Assistant Director for Science Programs, Dr. Mathews is responsible for overseeing the Program in Cell Engineering, Ethics, and Public Policy and the Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences, as well as other bench research related endeavors in the BBI. Her research interests focus on the intersection of science, public policy and society.

Alan H. McGowan, Chair An executive editor of Environment magazine, he is chair of the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Eugene Lang College and of the science program in the University Liberal Studies Program, both of New School University. He is also the Founder and President of the Gene Media Forum, a non-profit organization that focuses on providing information on all aspects of the genetic revolution to journalists. For 20 years, he was president of the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information, which served as a bridge between the scientific community and the media. Mr. McGowan has written extensively on science policy and public understanding of science issues.

Sharlissa Moore, President and Treasurer is a Ph.D. student at Arizona State University in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology.  Previously, she was Program Manager in the national Student Pugwash USA office, serving as a liaison and a resource for student participants nationwide and working to engage new students in the organization. She has interned at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Science and Technology Policy Institute.  She also works to bolster the network of students in science and technology policy through serving on the editorial board of the student Journal of Science Policy and Governance and helping to organize the STGlobal graduate student conference.  Sharlissa received her B.A. in Astronomy from Smith College. 

Lina Nayak is a medical student at Washington University School of Medicine ( St. Louis, Missouri). She graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Nayak has published in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and the NATO Science Series. In addition, she serves as an editor for the Virtual Mentor, the online ethics and professionalism journal of the American Medical Association. Nayak has been actively involved in Student Pugwash for more than six years. At the 52nd Pugwash Meeting (La Jolla, 2002), she was selected to present student outcomes in front of all meeting delegates and served as reporter and editor for the International Student Young Pugwash (ISYP) Pre-conference Report. She has lead Student Pugwash Chapters at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Northwestern University, and Washington University. Most recently, Nayak has served on the Student Advisory Panel for the 2007 SPUSA National Conference and moderated the Health Working Group.

Eric S. Roberts, Ph.D., is Professor of Computer Science and Director of Interdisciplinary Science Education at Stanford University. At Stanford, he served 12 years as Director of Undergraduate Studies for Computer Science. He has also written three computer science textbooks that are used at many colleges and universities throughout the world, and his research focuses particularly on computer science education in underserved communities. From 1999 to 2002 he chaired the Board of Directors for Student Pugwash USA, and from 1990 to 1996 he was president of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.

Alex Webster is a senior in Purdue’s School of Nuclear Engineering with plans of attending graduate school. Alex is also the Immediate Past President of Purdue Student Pugwash. He joined Pugwash because of his strong belief in educating the public about nuclear technology, to dispel myths and misconceptions that make people fearful of radiation. A space enthusiast, he appreciates the positive impact that the space program has had on this planet and is concerned about keeping the priorities of NASA in the interest of the public. Alex is also a member of the Purdue Alumni Student Experience Board of Directors and the American Nuclear Society. He also works in a nuclear engineering research lab at Purdue.

Charles Weiner, Ph.D., was educated at Case Institute of Technology (B.S., Metallurgy, 1960; Ph.D., History of Science and Technology, 1965). He was Director of the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics from 1965 to 1974, when he joined the MIT faculty. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His research and writing focus on the political, social and ethical dimensions of contemporary science and the responses of scientists to public controversies arising from their work. His publications have dealt with the history of controversies over academic patenting of biomedical research, the environmental, safety and ethical aspects of genetic engineering and biotechnology, and the development of nuclear physics. He is the editor of four volumes in the history of science and a new edition of his book, Robert Oppenheimer: Letters and Recollections (with Alice K. Smith) was published in 1995. He is currently completing a book on the history of social responsibility in science from the atomic bomb to contemporary genetic engineering.