Dr. Samuel Howerton is the Chief Scientist in the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. In this position, he serves as the senior advocate and advisor for science, technology, and engineering. Through proactive engagement with academia, the private sector, and international partners, he identifies strategic investment opportunities to deliver capabilities to DHS components and the first responder community.
With nearly twenty years of federal service, Dr. Howerton is a recognized expert at the intersection of research, foreign policy, and national security. Prior to DHS, he was a member of the Senior Executive Service at National Science Foundation (NSF) where he increased technical cooperation with international partners across all domains of science, engineering, and education. In collaboration with law enforcement, he developed policies and procedures to detect and defeat undue foreign influence while preserving academic freedom. Prior to NSF, he served as the Deputy Director for Science and Technology Cooperation at the Department of State. Responsible for nearly five dozen bilateral science relationships, he developed standard intellectual property protections for binding international agreements, implemented programs to promote economic growth in countries prone to violent extremism, and represented the U.S. in multilateral organizations. During his tenure at the Department of Defense, Dr. Howerton oversaw programs to develop countermeasures to weapons of mass destruction and served as a technical advisor on counterproliferation policy.
Dr. Howerton earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee, his Doctorate in Chemistry-Environmental Toxicology from Michigan State University, and a LEAD Certificate from the Leland J. Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and a graduate of Air War College.