UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research at Penn State, has been selected to serve as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development (R&D) Office for a two-year appointment beginning July 1, pending final clearance. During Weiss’ assignment, Andrew Read, currently director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and Eberly Professor of Biotechnology, will serve as interim senior vice president for research.
The CHIPS R&D Office, established under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, is charged with developing a robust domestic research ecosystem to advance the development of semiconductor technologies and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry.
In her role, Weiss will oversee the CHIPS R&D portfolio, set the vision and strategic direction of the CHIPS R&D program, and lead a team focused on analyzing external trends in semiconductor technology and manufacturing to identify needs for new capabilities and capacity. She will also oversee programmatic efforts supporting decision-making and policy. She and her staff will represent the Department of Commerce on various working groups and advisory committees, at conferences and forums, and at the interagency, national, and international levels.
“We are delighted that the Secretary of Commerce has selected Lora for this role,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Her own research expertise and experience leading a top R1 university research enterprise will be an invaluable addition to efforts to engage private and academic sectors toward successful implementation of CHIPS Act priorities. In addition, her appointment brings great esteem to Penn State, and we are honored to be recognized as national leaders in this critical area.”
At Penn State, Weiss oversees the research of 12 academic colleges, seven interdisciplinary research institutes, the Applied Research Laboratory, and offices for sponsored programs, research protections, industry partnerships, technology transfer, innovation, economic development, and commercialization. She also serves as president of the Penn State Research Foundation. Under her leadership, Penn State has consistently ranked among the nation’s top research universities, with annual research expenditures exceeding $1 billion.
“I am honored to be selected for this leadership position,” Weiss said. “We are at a unique time in history for research and development, where for the first time in many of our careers, the federal government has made a concerted, focused effort to invest in and advance a research area of such critical importance and at the scale that is planned for semiconductors.”
Prior to Penn State, Weiss spent 13 years at Georgia Tech, where most recently she served as senior vice president and director (interim) of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Prior to Georgia Tech, Weiss spent 16 years at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory. She earned her doctorate in acoustics at Penn State.