Peter Blair joined the National Research Council’s Division for Engineering and Physical Sciences as its first Executive Director in January 2001. Prior to this appointment he was executive director of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, publisher of American Scientist magazine, and an adjunct professor of public policy analysis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
From 1983 to 1996 he served in several capacities at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), concluding as Assistant Director of the agency and Director of the Industry, Commerce and International Security Division, where he was responsible for the agency’s research programs on energy, transportation, infrastructure, international security, space, industry, commerce and telecommunications. He received the OTA’s distinguished service award in 1991.
Prior to his government service, Blair served on the faculty of University of Pennsylvania with appointments in the graduate groups of energy management, regional science and public policy, and was a co-founder of Technecon Consulting Group Inc., a Philadelphia engineering-economic consulting firm specializing in investment decision analysis of energy projects and in developing, financing and managing independent power generation projects. Blair holds a B.S. in engineering from Swarthmore College, an M.S.E. in systems engineering and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in energy management and policy from the University of Pennsylvania.
