Life Scientist and Professor
University of Wisconsin, Madison
(profile at the time of induction in 1996)
A versatile professional, Dr. Jaleh Daie has over 23 years of experience in private and public institutions and academia. Most recently, Dr. Daie was Director of Science and Senior Advisor to the President at the Packard Foundation where she was responsible for a $90 million annual budget. She provided executive and technical direction and managed a diversified portfolio of science and technology.
While at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dr. Daie took on special assignments in Washington, D.C., where she served as science liaison to the President's National Science & Technology Council, a cabinet body that advises the President on all aspects of science and technology. She worked with White House staff on presidential initiatives and served as special assistant to the Chief Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Dept. of Commerce.
Dr. Daie has been both faculty and administrator at two major universities. She joined UW Madison as a biology professor and senior science advisor for the 26-campus UW system. Previously, she was associate professor at Rutgers University; she was promoted to full professor and became the first female chair of her department. She founded and served as chief executive of a major interdisciplinary center and as director of a university-wide graduate program. Her research on molecular/cellular physiology of carbohydrate transport and metabolism in plants resulted in numerous publications and invited seminars in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Daie is the first woman appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Space Foundation, where she serves as Treasurer. She also serves on the board of Sigma Xi and the Leadership Foundation of the International Women Forum and is a Trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California. She is former chairman of the board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, a consortium of heads of science and engineering societies representing 1.4 million members, and president of the Association for Women in Science. She is founder of the Women in Science & Technology Alliance and serves on the Commission on Biotechnology and Global Food Security, the International Advisory Council of the Kilby Foundation, the Dean's Council at UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the National Women's Museum, Columbia University's "Science and Society" program, the Weizmann Institute and California Business and Professional Women.
Dr. Daie has received an Honorary Degree from Dominican University of California. She was named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Association for Women in Science as well as Founding Fellow of the UW Teaching Academy. Other recognitions include: "25 Smartest Who Make a Difference", The Scientist's list of "Leaders of Science", and Phi Kappa Phi.
