WASHINGTON, DC.- Paul G. Risser has been named acting director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, effective April 18. He will replace museum director Cristián Samper, who is Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Risser is the chair of the University of Oklahoma Research Cabinet and coordinates and facilitates research across the university’s three campuses. Risser has served as a member of the museum’s board for nine years and chairs its science committee.

“We are very fortunate that Paul Risser has agreed to become the acting director of the National Museum of Natural History,” said Cristián Samper, Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian. “His distinguished career as a scientist and university administrator, as well as his dedicated service on the museum’s board, makes him uniquely qualified for this position.”

“In an interesting way, the museum’s extraordinary exhibits and its research and education programs are probably more important today for our country than at any time in our history,” said Paul Risser. “Our understanding of the natural sciences is unfolding at an extremely rapid rate, making it a challenge to just keep up with new discoveries and their applications.”

Risser, 68, became chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education in January 2003, where he led a state system composed of 25 state colleges and universities. In this position, Risser provided leadership on matters relating to standards for Oklahoma higher education; courses and programs of study; budget allocations for institutions; fees and tuitions; and strategic planning.

From 1996 to 2002, Risser served as president of Oregon State University, where he led the university to record enrollment and impressive growth during a seven-year span. Risser also was president of Miami University of Ohio from 1993 to 1996.

From 1986 to 1993, Risser served as vice president for research and then as provost for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. Previously, he served as the chief of the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois from 1981 to 1986.

In his academic leadership positions, Risser has been recognized nationally for encouraging student access, focusing on high-quality academic programs, fostering strong research success and working closely with local and statewide communities.

Risser has served on national boards and committees, including the National Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Academy of Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Forest Institute. He was chair of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology of the National Academy of Sciences.

Risser is a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Risser received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Grinnell College in Iowa (1961) and a master’s degree (1965) and doctorate (1967) from the University of Wisconsin. Among his research specialties are the flow of energy and materials through grassland and forested ecosystems, the effects of climate on plant community productivity and landscape ecology.