Obituary: Rodney Nichols, Past President and CEO, New York Academy of Sciences
Published September 06, 2018

Rod Nichols
The New York Academy of Sciences is saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Rodney W. Nichols, past President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences from 1992 to 2001.
In addition to being an author of two books and many papers, Dr. Nichols, an applied physicist who was a graduate of Harvard University, served as a consultant to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as an advisor to the State, Defense, and Energy Departments; NIH; NSF; Peace Corps; UN; Congressional Office of Technology Assessment; and the National Academies of Science and Engineering. Prior to joining the New York Academy of Sciences, he was Scholar-in-Residence at the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Vice President and Executive Vice President of The Rockefeller University.
During the past 40 years, Nichols played an active role in U.S. international policy and economic development. He was vice chair for former President Jimmy Carter for the Commission’s December 1992 report on Partnerships for Global Development. He also co-authored chapters on “Science and Technology in North America” for UNESCO’s biennial World Science Report (1994, 1996, and 1998), and prepared the entry on “Science and Technology” for Oxford’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations (1997), as well as chaired a project of the Council on Foreign Relations on Technology Policy.
The Academy appreciates Dr. Nichols past leadership and sends heartfelt condolences to his wife Karen, son Christopher, daughter-in-law Elizabeth and stepdaughters Lily and Courtney.