Kerri-Ann Jones
Encyclopedia
Kerri-Ann Jones is the current United States
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
, having assumed office in August 2009.
, receiving a bachelor's degree
in chemistry
in 1975. After graduating from Barnard, she worked at Rockefeller University
as an assistant for research in immunology
and developmental biology
. She then became a graduate student at the Department of Molecular Biophysics
and Biochemistry
at Yale University
, receiving her Ph.D.
in 1985. For her doctoral work, she studied the effects of stress
on protein expression
and metabolism
, using nuclear magnetic resonance
.
In 1985, Jones won a Science Engineering and Diplomacy Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science
. She then spent a year in New Delhi
as the Biotechnology Advisor of the United States Agency for International Development
there.
Returning to the U.S., Jones worked as an independent consultant. In 1996, President of the United States
Bill Clinton
nominated Jones to be Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
and, after Senate confirmation, she held this post until 1999. She also served on the United States National Security Council
as the Senior Director for Science and Technology Affairs. In 2000, she joined the United States Department of Defense
's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research as Director for the state of Maine
. In 2002, she moved to the National Science Foundation
as Director of the Office of International Science and Engineering. She left that post in 2005 to work as an independent consultant.
In June 2009, President Barack Obama
nominated Jones to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
. After Senate confirmation, she was sworn into office on August 20, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the United States Department of State...
, having assumed office in August 2009.
Biography
Kerri-Ann Jones was educated at Barnard CollegeBarnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, receiving a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
in 1975. After graduating from Barnard, she worked at Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
as an assistant for research in immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
and developmental biology
Developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...
. She then became a graduate student at the Department of Molecular Biophysics
Molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology...
and Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, receiving her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1985. For her doctoral work, she studied the effects of stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
on protein expression
Protein expression
Protein expression is a subcomponent of gene expression. It consists of the stages after DNA has been translated into polypeptide chains, which are ultimately folded into proteins...
and metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
, using nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance is a physical phenomenon in which magnetic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation...
.
In 1985, Jones won a Science Engineering and Diplomacy Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
. She then spent a year in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
as the Biotechnology Advisor of the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
there.
Returning to the U.S., Jones worked as an independent consultant. In 1996, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
nominated Jones to be Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology Policy is an office in the Executive Office of the President , established by Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.The director of this office is...
and, after Senate confirmation, she held this post until 1999. She also served on the United States National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
as the Senior Director for Science and Technology Affairs. In 2000, she joined the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research as Director for the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. In 2002, she moved to the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
as Director of the Office of International Science and Engineering. She left that post in 2005 to work as an independent consultant.
In June 2009, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
nominated Jones to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the United States Department of State...
. After Senate confirmation, she was sworn into office on August 20, 2009.