Distinguished Alumni > 2005 > Rita R. Colwell

Rita R. Colwell

• B.S., Bacteriology, 1956, Purdue University
• M.S., Genetics, 1958, Purdue University
• Ph.D, Marine Microbiology, 1961, University of Washington

Dr. Rita Colwell is currently Chairman of Canon US Life Sciences, Inc. and Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health, and she is currently developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world. She is widely regarded as an expert in cholera and bacterial research.

Dr. Colwell was the first woman to be named Director of the National Science Foundation, where she served with distinction from 1998 to 2004, a time of tremendous growth in the Foundation. In her capacity as NSF Director, she served as Co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. One of her major interests include K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering.

Dr. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the U.S. Government, nonprofit science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. She is a nationally-respected scientist and educator, and has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 700 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film, Invisible Seas, and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals.

Dr. Colwell has been awarded 45 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including Purdue University. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Bangladesh, and the United States. She has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology, and as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, and the International Union of Microbiological Societies.

She and her husband, Dr. Jack Colwell, live in Bethesda, Maryland. They have been married for nearly 39 years and have two daughters, Alison and Stacie.

Career Highlights
2004	Chairman, Canon US Life Sciences, Inc.
1998	Director, National Science Foundation
1991	President, University of Maryland
1972	Professor of Microbiology, University of Maryland
1963	Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Georgetown University
1961	Guest Scientist, Division of Applied Biology, National Research Council of Canada