DR. S. Shyam Sunder
Dr. Sunder holds an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and master’s and doctor of science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining NIST in 1994, he served on the faculty of MIT for thirteen years. He has received several awards, including the Gold Medal Award for distinguished leadership from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2005.
BFRL has an annual budget of $42 million, 165 employees, and about 140 guest researchers from industry, universities, and foreign laboratories. BFRL’s strategic goals provide the enabling measurement science for net zero energy, high performance buildings; breakthrough improvements in construction productivity using information, communication, and automation technologies; sustainable infrastructure materials; innovative fire protection; and disaster-resilient structures and communities.
Dr. Sunder also:
- Co-chairs the Buildings Technology R&D Subcommittee of the President’s National Science and Technology Council.
- Serves on the Boards of the Construction Industry Institute (CII) and the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB).
- Oversees the $125 million per year multi-agency U.S. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
- Leads the federal building and fire safety investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
