Exclusive: White House taps Maryland professor for tech role

President Biden will nominate Laurie E. Locascio to lead the federal agency in charge of promoting innovation and technology, the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Driving the news: Biden will name Locascio, currently vice president for research at the University of Maryland, as Undersecretary for Standards and Technology at the Department of Commerce.

• She previously led internal scientific research and laboratory programs at at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST,  as acting principal deputy director and associate director for laboratory programs.
• The nomination will mark Locascio's return to NIST, a federal agency that works with the private sector to develop technology and standards.