William C. Harris

Dr. William C.
Harris is President & Chief Executive Officer at Science Foundation Arizona.
Prior to joining Science Foundation Arizona, Dr. Harris was in Ireland serving as director general of Science Foundation Ireland, a new Irish agency that helped facilitate tremendous growth in Ireland's R&D sector during Harris' tenure.
Immediately prior to going to Ireland, he was vice president of research and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of South Carolina.
He served at the U.S.
National Science Foundation from 1978 to 1996, including as the director for mathematical and physical sciences (1991-1996).
He was responsible for federal grants appropriation of $750 million.
He also established 25 Science and Technology Centers to support investigative, interdisciplinary research by multi-university consortia.
Earlier in his career, he catalyzed the Research Experience for Undergraduates program in the chemistry division and it became an NSF-wide activity.
Dr. Harris earned his undergraduate degree at the College of William and Mary, and received his Ph.D.
in chemistry from the University of South Carolina.