Subra Suresh, the head of the US National Science Foundation, will be leaving the agency in July to take up the post of president at Carnegie Mellon University, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Suresh joined NSF in October 2010, coming from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was the dean of engineering.
Suresh tells the Chronicle that he wasn't looking to leave NSF, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a university president, "especially at an institution of the caliber of Carnegie Mellon." Suresh will replace Jared Cohon, who announced his plans to step down in August 2010.
While government agencies are facing the possibility of large budget cuts, Suresh tells the Chronicle that NSF is in good shape. "I feel very good about where NSF is, at this point, and hopefully it will continue," he says.
ScienceInsider adds that Cora Marrett, the deputy director of NSF, is likely to be named the acting director upon Suresh's departure; she served as acting director prior to his arrival.