Erick C. Jones was named a 2021-22 Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. For his fellowship, the College of Engineering associate dean for graduate studies is serving as a senior science adviser in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. State Department. His current research on pandemic supply chains was a main consideration for this assignment, as the office studies how the U.S. can better understand the economics of supply chains and how their disruptions impact global commerce, operations, and quality of life.
“It is a deep honor to be chosen by the academies to serve the State Department,” Dr. Jones says. “I look forward to applying my scholarship, previous federal service, and executive industry experience to the economics and engineering of supply chains to diverse, underserved, and impoverished communities domestically and globally.”
Once his fellowship ends, Jones will remain available to the State Department for short-term projects over the next five years. He is the second UTA faculty member to serve as a JSF, following business Professor Edmund Prater, who spent 2020-21 at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Office of American Spaces.
