Simon Szykman, Chief Information Officer

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dr. Simon Szykman assumed the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on January 22, 2007. Before returning to NIST as CIO, Dr. Szykman served as the Director of the National Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD), where he was responsible for the coordination of planning, budget, and assessment activities for the Federal NITRD Program. As NCO Director, Dr. Szykman served as Co-Chair of the National Science and technology Council's (NSTC's) Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology R&D, and reported directly to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the NSTC.

Dr. Szykman arrived at the National Coordination Office from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, where he served as the Department's first Director of Cyber Security R&D. In that role, he led the development of cyber security R&D plans, programs, and budgets in support of the Department's mission. He also served as Co-Chair of what is now the NSTC's Cyber Security and Information Assurance Interagency Working Group, and led the development of the Government's first interagency Federal Plan for Cyber Security R&D.

Dr. Szykman joined DHS after an 18-month assignment at OSTP. In the role of senior policy analyst, he served as OSTP's liaison to the NCO and the NITRD Program. He worked within OSTP to establish, and served as Co-Chair of, the High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force (HECRTF), and covered other Internet-related issues including cyber security.

Prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Szykman was a member of the technical staff at the NIST, where he led a program component in Intelligent and Distributed Product Development, and also served as a Program Manager and source evaluation board Technical Chair in the Information Technology and Applications Office of NIST's Advanced Technology Program.

Dr. Szykman received Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Engineering Management degree from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rochester.