WASHINGTON — The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that, following a national search, Elizabeth Eide has been named executive director of its Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS).

Prior to serving as acting executive director for DELS since February of this year, Eide was acting deputy executive director of the division beginning in November 2019.  She joined the National Academies in 2005 as a senior program officer in the division’s Board on Earth Sciences and Resources (BESR). In this capacity, Eide directed studies on topics such as critical minerals, induced seismicity, and disaster resilience.  She also has served as staff director for the standing Committee on Earth Resources for many years, and more recently as director of the Roundtable on Unconventional Hydrocarbon Development. Eide was named director of BESR in 2012 and has also directed the division’s Water Science and Technology Board since 2016, rising to senior board director for both boards in 2017.

“Elizabeth brings to the position an outstanding record of project leadership, program management, sponsor stewardship, and cross-Academies collaboration,” said Gregory Symmes, chief program officer of the National Academies.  “Over the last few months in her acting capacity, Elizabeth led the division during an incredibly challenging time, and her proactive support for staff has been remarkable.  I look forward to celebrating Elizabeth’s continued success in her new role.”

Prior to joining the National Academies, Eide was as team leader, researcher, and laboratory manager in the Geological Survey of Norway. She is an elected member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters and was a U.S.-Norway Fulbright Scholar in 1995.  Eide holds a doctorate in geology from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Franklin and Marshall College.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

Contact:
Dana Korsen, Media Relations Manager
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; news@nas.edu