Rita R. Colwell

Rita R. Colwell (born 1934 in Beverly, Massachusetts) is an environmental microbiologist and scientific administrator. She became 11th Director of the United States National Science Foundation on August 4, 1998.

Dr. Colwell has an undergraduate degree in bacteriology and an M.S. in genetics from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Washington. In 2004, she received an honorary Sc.D. from Bates College. She served as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Microbiology. She is a member of the (US) National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2004 Dr. Colwell left her position as Director of NSF to become the chief scientist at Canon U.S. Life Sciences, a division of Canon, the camera and printer company. She also returned to academic life as a Distinguished Professor at University of Maryland, College Park. In July 2007, Dr. Colwell received the National Medal of Science from United States President George W. Bush.