Cornelius Francis "Neal" Lane (born August 22, 1938), is an American physicist and Senior Fellow in Science and Technology Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and Malcolm Gillis University Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy Emeritus at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He has served as chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, provost of Rice University, and Science Advisor to the President (Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) during the Bill Clinton Administration). Lane lectures and writes on matters of science and technology policy. Biography Early life Lane was born in Oklahoma City in 1938, graduated from Southeast High School, and earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Oklahoma. His thesis advisor was Professor Chun C. Lin, who later joined the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Research, teaching and administration Initially pursuing a career in teaching and research, Lane carried out post-doctoral studies in the Department of Applied Mathematics at Queen's University Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland, studying with Professor Alexander Dalgarno, and as a visiting fellow at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (currently JILA), working with Dr. Sydney Geltman. He joined Rice University as an assistant professor in 1966 and was promoted to full professor of physics, space physics, and astronomy in 1972. His research contributions were all in the area of theoretical, atomic, and molecular physics, with an emphasis on electronic and atomic collision phenomena. On leave from Rice for the academic year 1979-1980, Lane served as Director of the Division of Physics at the National Science Foundation (NSF). In 1984 he became chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which was developing new graduate programs in science and engineering in response to the growing technology industry in the Pikes Peak region. Returning to Rice as provost in 1986, Lane served in this role until 1993, when he joined the Bill Clinton Administration as Director of the NSF and ex officio member of the National Science Board. National Science Foundation As Director of the NSF from 1993-1998, Lane focused on preserving the agency's emphasis on supporting fundamental research in all fields of science, mathematics and engineering. During Lane's tenure, the NSF was required to develop a formal long-range strategic plan in accordance with the Government Performance and Results