Faculty Member Appointed To National Sciences Oversight Committee

Texas A&M University Professor of Multidisciplinary Engineering Dr. George T. Ligler has been appointed to serve as a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS) Committee — an entity that oversees 11 boards in the engineering and physical science areas. Ligler joins a group of 18 academic and industrial leaders from across the country and began his three-year term on  Jan. 1.

As a function of the National Academies, the DEPS brings together experts from across academia, industry and government to collaborate and provide authoritative advice to the U.S. government and nation on science and technology policy matters.

The committee will focus on articulating intellectual and strategic goals for the division in the following areas:

• National Security and Intelligence
• Space, Aeronautics, Physics and Astronomy
• Energy and Sustainability
• Infrastructure and Scientific Assessments
• Manufacturing, Materials and Supply Chains
• Modeling and Analytics
• Mathematics and Operations Research
• Computing, Telecommunications and Information Technology

Ligler is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Professor and Dean’s Excellence Chair of Multidisciplinary Engineering. Before joining the faculty at Texas A&M in spring 2022, he contributed to nine national academy committees (chairing two) and had begun his current service as a member of the Academies’ Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board.

Ligler completed his formal career as a student with the receipt of his master’s and doctoral degrees in computation from Oxford University in 1973 and 1975, respectively, as a Rhodes Scholar. Though the Rhodes Scholarships are most notably associated with outstanding scholarly achievement, scholarship recipients are chosen for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead. Ligler is chairing the steering committee responsible for bringing the 2024 National Academy of Engineering Regional Meeting and Symposium to Aggieland in April.

“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Ligler as a member of the Texas A&M faculty. His rich industry experience and achievements within academia significantly impact the caliber of the learning environment we provide our students and faculty alike,” said Dr. N.K. Anand, vice provost for Faculty Affairs. “As an active member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Dr. Ligler has led workshops preparing faculty to pursue fellowship in professional organizations and is now bringing NAE’s regional meeting to College Station – where our students, faculty and researchers can directly engage with their members. We are grateful for Dr. Ligler’s leadership and his ongoing contributions toward what makes Texas A&M such a special place.”

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society. Election into membership of the National Academies is considered one of the highest professional honors distinguishing and recognizing the outstanding achievements of the world’s most preeminent scientists, engineers and health care professionals. There are 57 active Texas A&M faculty members serving as members of the National Academies: engineering (33), sciences (17) and medicine (7). The most recent inductee was Dr. Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Department of Nutrition, to the National Academy of Medicine (2023). Through the Governor’s University Research Initiative, Texas A&M has successfully recruited two additional National Academy of Engineering members to the active faculty: Dr. Julie Schoenung (2022) and Dr. Enrique Lavernia (2013).