William C. Harris, Ph.D., served as Science Foundation Ireland’s founding director general and was responsible for leading it in its early years and for developing the eventual legislation to formally establish an independent SFI. He subsequently was founding president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona.
Prior to his work at SFI, Bill served as vice president of Research for the University of South Carolina. He served in significant leadership roles at the US National Science Foundation, including developing NSF’s 25 initial Science and Technology centers and leading the Mathematical and Physical Sciences directorate. He served as deputy director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and led development of Biosphere 2 as a western campus of Columbia.
Bill is the co-author, with Stephen Beschloss, of Adrift: Charting Our Course Back to a Great Nation (Prometheus, 2011). A former chemistry professor at Furman University, he earned his BS degree from William and Mary and his PhD from USC. Bill holds honorary doctorates from the University of Ireland and Northern Arizona University. He is co-founder and director of Innovation Advisory Partners.