Branscomb, Lewis M., 1926-

Lewis M. Branscomb (b. 1926) received his MS (1947) and Phd (1949) from Harvard in physics. He was a Junior Fellow in Harvard's Society of Fellows from 1949 to 1951 and a Harvard physics instructor from 1950 to 1951. Over the next several years, Branscomb taught physics at the University of Maryland (1952-1954), University College in London (1957-1958), and the University of Colorado (1962-1969). Branscomb also served as the director of the National Bureau of Standards from 1969 to 1972 and vice president and chief scientist of International Business Machines Corporation from 1972 to 1986. Branscomb returned to Harvard in 1986, as Public Service Professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1994, he was appointed Aetna Professor in Public Policy and Corporate Management, a position he held until 1996, when he became Professor Emeritus. Branscomb's major interest was the study of atomic and molecular ions and their role in the atmospheres of the earth and stars. He was a co-founder of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at the University of Colorado (1962) and is the author of books on science and technology policy, disaster resilience and counter terrorism, and early stage technology innovation.

From the description of Oral History of Lewis McAdory Branscomb, 2010. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 772982630