Profile: Patrick D. Gallagher

Patrick D. Gallagher, age 50, is currently performing the duties of Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and is also the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology.

Gallagher was appointed Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce by President Obama on June 1, 2013. The U.S. Department of Commerce promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved standards of living for all Americans by working in partnership with businesses, universities, communities, and our nation’s workers. The department manages a wide range of programs in the areas of trade, economic development, technology, entrepreneurship and business development, environmental stewardship, and statistical research and analysis. As Deputy Secretary, Gallagher supports the Secretary and acts as the chief operating officer of the Department, with overall responsibility for budget, planning, and operations. The Department has a total operating budget of over $10 billion and has 40,000 federal employees.

Gallagher was confirmed as the 14th Director of NIST on Nov. 5, 2009. In this capacity, he provides high-level direction for the agency. The agency promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. NIST’s FY 2014 budget includes $850 million in direct and transfer appropriations, an estimated $50 million in service fees and $120 million from other agencies. The agency employs about 3,000 scientists, engineers, technicians, support staff, and administrative personnel at two main locations in Gaithersburg, Md., and Boulder, Colo. NIST also hosts about 2,700 associates from academia, industry, and other government agencies who collaborate with NIST staff and access user facilities.

Under Gallagher, NIST has greatly expanded its participation, often in a leadership role, in collaborative efforts between government and the private sector to address major technical challenges facing the nation. NIST’s participation in these efforts stems from the agency’s long history of technical accomplishments and leadership in private sector-led standards development organizations and in research fields such as manufacturing engineering, cybersecurity and computer science, forensic science, and building and fire science.

Prior to assuming the directorship of NIST, Gallagher served in a number of capacities with that agency, including deputy director, director of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, and leader of the Research Facilities Operation Group in the Center for Neutron Research as well as a NIST agency representative at the National Science and Technology Council. Prior to joining NIST in 1993, he worked as a research associate at Boston University.

During the first stages of his career, Gallagher did work on the physics of soft condensed matter, using both laser lights and neutron beams as probes. As he took on broader responsibilities at NIST, he worked on important aspects of national policy for applying science to technological challenges. In the years since becoming head of NIST, he has played a key role in formulating federal policy related to national efforts to encourage entrepreneurship, promote effective standards setting, and support advanced manufacturing.

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded Gallagher its Gold Medal for his leadership in interagency coordination efforts.

In 2013, he gave the commencement speech at the University of Pittsburgh, and Pitt awarded him an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at that event in recognition of his contributions to advancing our nation through science and technology.

He is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Sigma Xi Honor Society, and the Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society. He worked as a research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh and received his PhD in physics from Pitt in 1991.

Gallagher received a bachelor’s degree in physics and philosophy from Benedictine College. Before his graduate study at Pitt, he taught science and math at a high school in St. Joseph, Mo., where he also served as head coach for the cross-country track team. He lives in Brookeville, Md., with his wife, Karen, and their three sons.