Tim Persons

Dr. Timothy Persons was appointed the Chief Scientist of the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, in July 2008. In this role, he is an expert advisor and chief consultant to the GAO, Congress, and other federal agencies and government programs. He focuses on cutting-edge science and technology, key highly-specialized national and international systems, engineering policies, best practices, and original research studies in the fields of engineering, computer, and the physical sciences to ensure efficient, effective, and economical use of science and technology in government programs.

Timothy received his BSc (Physics) from James Madison University, MSc (Nuclear Physics) from Emory University, and a MSc (Computer Science) and PhD (Biomedical Engineering) from Wake Forest University. He is a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Association for Computing Machinery, and the Sigma Xi research honor society.