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CORVALLIS, Ore. - The White House announced today the appointment of Richard (Rick) Spinrad, the vice president for research at Oregon State University since July 2010, as chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Spinrad will resign from his position as vice president and take a leave of absence from the Oregon State faculty to accept the NOAA appointment, which begins in July. He is a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

As NOAA's chief scientist, Spinrad will help drive the policy and program direction for all science and technology priorities at the agency and advise NOAA Administrator Kathy Sullivan and agency program leaders on research matters.

"I am honored to be appointed to this position at such a critical time," Spinrad said. "The issues that NOAA is addressing relate to natural hazards, resource management and the optimal application of research to solve problems. Being asked to help guide the agency's scientific agenda is a humbling and exciting opportunity."

OSU President Edward J. Ray praised Spinrad, and pointed to the long list of Oregon State faculty and administrators who recently have held high-ranking federal appointments, including former NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and others.

"Rick Spinrad has provided exceptional leadership to the university's research enterprise," said OSU President Edward J. Ray. "He has successfully increased our research partnerships with industry, spearheaded the drive for a marine studies campus in Newport, and helped OSU secure a major grant to design and oversee the construction of as many as three new ships for the United States research fleet.

"We will miss his many contributions, but we know that he will make an outstanding addition to the NOAA administration."

Under Spinrad's leadership, the last fiscal year was OSU's best ever in technology licensing as the university signed 88 new licenses with organizations in the fields of information technology, agriculture, industrial materials, biotechnology, forest products, healthy aging and manufacturing. OSU also received a record $7.7 million in licensing and royalty income, and research funding from the private sector reached $36 million - a 65 percent increase over the last five years.

A key component of OSU's growth in industry partnerships under Spinrad was the launch of a new initiative in January 2013 called the Oregon State University Advantage, which is designed to boost the university's impact on job creation and economic progress in Oregon and beyond. The program has increased access by private industry to OSU's faculty and researchers and allows companies to take better advantage of the university's unique capabilities.

Spinrad also played an integral role in the launch of the Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network known as Oregon RAIN and the selection of OSU - along with public and private partners in Alaska and Hawaii - to run a center to investigate the civilian use of unmanned aerial vehicles.

He also was a member of the Corvallis Economic Development Commission.

"It was a difficult decision to leave OSU at this time," Spinrad said. "Our success in research of late and the exciting prospects for the university's future are testimony to the extraordinary skills and capabilities of our faculty, staff, students and administrators. I will watch OSU's continued growth with a sense of confidence and pride in the university community."

Before coming to OSU, Spinrad was assistant administrator for research at NOAA. He also has been the research director for the U.S. Navy; taught oceanography at two universities; directed a major national non-profit organization; was president of a private company; and worked as a research scientist.

Spinrad received his master's (1978) and doctoral (1982) degrees in oceanography from OSU.

An interim vice president for OSU research will be appointed in the near future.