Joanne Tornow

Joanne Tornow received her B.A. degree in Biology from Rutgers University in 1979 and her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from Yale University in 1983.  Her research training is in the area of molecular biology and genetics, focusing on the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic systems.  After completing post-doctoral training at the University of California, Joanne served on the faculty at Portland State University and the University of Southern Mississippi, ultimately achieving the rank of Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, where she taught genetics and molecular biology to undergraduates and graduate students, and did research on gene regulation in yeast.  In the fall of 1997, Joanne came to Washington DC on a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she spent one year working in the Senate and a second year at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy working on a variety of issues including veterans’ health and compensation, stem cell research, data access, and biomedical research funding.  Joanne joined the National Science Foundation in the fall of 1999 as a Program Director in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, where she was responsible for managing grant proposals focused on investigating mechanisms and regulation of gene expression.  She moved to the Office of the Assistant Director for the Biological Sciences at the NSF as a Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning, Policy and Analysis in June 2006.  After completing a two-year rotation as the Division Director of the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division in 2009, she served as the Acting Executive Officer for the Biological Sciences Directorate until June 2011.  After being accepted as a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service in June 2011, she served as the Deputy Assistant Director and acting Assistant Director for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, and became the Head of the Office of Information and Resource Management in December 2014.