France A. Córdova was sworn in as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2014. She is the fourteenth director to lead the federal agency charged with advancing scientific discovery, innovation, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, she went on to receive a doctorate in physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1979. At the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Córdova first served as a staff scientist and then as a deputy group leader in the Earth and space sciences division from 1988 to 1989. She was on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University from 1989 to 1993, where she headed the department of astronomy and astrophysics.
Córdova’s scientific contributions have been in the areas of observational and experimental astrophysics, multi-spectral research on x-ray and gamma-ray sources and space-borne instrumentation. She has published more than 150 scientific papers.
From 1993 to 1996, Córdova served as NASA’s chief scientist. Prior to joining NASA, she served as the vice chancellor for research and professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from 1996 to 2002.
Córdova led the University of California, Riverside, as chancellor from 2002 to 2007 and served as a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy. She is also president emerita of Purdue University, where she served as president for five years from 2007.
Purdue University’s France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center was named for her in 2012. A renovation of the 55-year-old facility was approved during her presidency. The building was one of 10 recreation facilities to receive a Facility of Merit Award for 2014 from Athletic Business.
Honors & Awards
In 1996, Córdova received NASA’s highest honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. A year later, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles in 1997. She was recognized as a Kilby Laureate in 2000, for her “contributions to society through science, technology, innovation, invention, and education.”
Hispanic Business magazine named her one of the “80 Elite Hispanic Women” in 2002. Córdova was nominated to the Stanford University 2008 Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame by El Centro Chicano, Stanford’s Chicano and Latino organization. In 2012, she received the Women in Space Science Award from the Adler Planetarium.
Córdova was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a National Associate of the National Academies. She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association for Women In Science (AWIS).
More recently, Córdova served as chair of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and on the board of trustees of Mayo Clinic. She also served as a member of the National Science Board (NSB), where she chaired the Committee on Strategy and Budget. As NSF director, she is an ex officio member of the NSB. She was appointed to the National Science Board in 2008.
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