Newswise — Timothy Killeen, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), will begin a two-year term as president of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) on July 1.

"I'm deeply honored by this position of global scientific leadership in serving the AGU membership," Killeen says. "My goal is to contribute to the advancement of the geosciences, as well as to help communicate the importance of science to society."

Killeen is an expert on atmospheric and space science. As director of NCAR, he has overall responsibility for the organization's scientific, technical, and educational activities. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Michigan, serving as director of the university's Space Physics Research Laboratory. He holds a Ph.D. in atomic and molecular physics from University College London.

The American Geophysical Union is a worldwide scientific research community that works to advance our understanding of the four fundamental areas of geophysics: atmospheric and ocean sciences, solid-Earth sciences, hydrologic sciences, and space sciences. The organization serves its membership of more than 45,000 with a range of publications, meetings, and educational activities that support research in Earth and space sciences.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) under primary sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.