SBU Prez Appointed Chair of National Advisory Committee

Stony Brook University President Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. will lead a 25-person board of national experts in the area of biosecurity that advises several federal agencies, the university announced Friday.

Stanley, the new chairman of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, will recommend "strategies for the efficient and effective oversight of federally conducted or supported dual-use biological research, taking into consideration national security concerns and the needs of the research community," the university said in a statement.

Stanley, who has already sat on other national advisory boards, was singled out for his experiences as one of the country's top-funded biomedical and infectious disease researchers during his tenure at Washington University in St. Louis.

"He is also known for his thoughtful, statesman-like leadership and even-handed approach to tackling complex issues – characteristics that will serve him well as he takes the helm of the NSABB," Dr. Amy Patterson, director of the National Institues of Health Office of Science Policy, said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, lauded Stanley's appointment.

"Dr. Stanley's expertise in infectious disease will help him to inform the NIH about protecting against emerging agents and improving biosecurity in our nation," Bishop said in a statement.

Stanley is also vice chairman of Brookhaven Science Associates, the organization that manages Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. He was appointed Stony Brook's president in 2009 as the fifth person to serve in that capacity.