ABOUT JAMES LAWRENCE POWELL

Geologist, Science Policy Scholar, and Author

James Lawrence Powell is a geologist, author, and former college and museum president. He received his Ph.D. in geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has written extensively about earth science, planetary science, the history of science, and the relationship between science and public policy.

He served for twelve years on the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation and advises the President and Congress on national science policy.

His writing ranges across earth and planetary science, the history of science, and the relationship between scientific evidence and public policy. Much of his recent work examines how scientific knowledge is created, how controversies are resolved, and what happens when evidence collides with political or ideological commitments.