Nomination of William J. Merrell, Jr., To Be an Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation

The President today announced his intention to nominate William J. Merrell, Jr., to be an Assistant Director (Astronomical, Atmospheric, Earth and Ocean Sciences) of the National Science Foundation. He would succeed Floyd James Rutherford.

Dr. Merrell is presently serving as director of the division of atmospheric and marine sciences and associate dean of the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University. He also serves there as a professor in the department of oceanography. Previously, he has served at Texas A&M University as director of the Earth Resources Institute of the College of Geosciences (1983-1984); associate professor (1981-1985) and deputy department head (1981-1983) of the department of oceanography. He was program manager of the Gulf of Mexico topographic features synthesis in 1981-1983 and oceanographer and manager, Climate and Coastal Zone Branch Science Applications, Inc., in 1979-1980. He was with Texas A&M University as associate director of the Earth Resources Institute (1978-1979); assistant to the dean of geosciences (1978-1979); deputy sea grant director (1977-1978); and lecturer and deputy department head, department of oceanography (1977-1979).

He graduated from Sam Houston State College (B.S., 1965; M.A., 1967) and Texas A&M University (Ph.D., 1971). He is married, has two children, and resides in Bryan, TX. He was born February 16, 1943, in Grand Island, NE.