President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection

Irwin M. Pikus

Commissioner

Irwin M. Pikus holds a Ph.D. degree in physics and a J.D. His career focus has been on the role of science and technology in addressing national goals and objectives.

Dr. Pikus is a charter member of the Senior Executive Service, having begun his government career in 1975 with the Department of State. At the State Department, he was deputy director of the Office of Advanced Technology where he had the major responsibility for the State Department in civilian space affairs and leadership responsibilities in other areas relating to technology and diplomacy, particularly in technology transfer policy. He moved to the National Science Foundation (NSF) where he was the chief planning officer for the agency and led a division that provided policy analytic support to the Director and the National Science Board as well as conducting periodic reviews of all NSF programs for top management. Since 1987, Dr. Pikus has been with the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export Administration where he led an office that collected and analyzed information dealing with foreign technology comparable to the advanced technologies whose exports are controlled by the United States.

Prior to his government career, Dr. Pikus was an individual contributor and project manager in applied research within the aerospace and electronics industries. Over a fifteen year span he worked for RCA, the Budd Company and General Electric Company.

Dr. Pikus has a number of publications and presentations in technical and legal fields. He is an active member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania and is an inactive member of the Patent and Trademark Bar. He was elected to membership in the International Academy of Astronautics in recognition of his contributions to the field of space law. He has lectured extensively and developed and taught two courses at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service: Science, Technology and Diplomacy and Space Policy. He is a Vietnam Era veteran of the U.S. Army.