Emilda Rivers

Emilda B. Rivers is the Director of the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), one of the thirteen U.S principal statistical agencies and the statistical agency for the U.S. National Science Foundation (USNSF). She leads NCSES in delivering data on research and development funding and performance; the science and engineering (S&E) workforce; U.S. competitiveness in science, engineering, technology, and R&D; and the condition and progress of U.S. science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

As the head of the USNSF’s statistical agency, Ms. Rivers is at the nexus of research, policy, and statistics, a unique position to inform the challenges and opportunities of evidence-building. She recently served as Chair of the White House Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building. As outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, she oversees the establishment of the National Secure Data Service demonstration project, which is required to develop, refine, and test models to inform the full implementation for government-wide shared services to securely liberate within the Federal data ecosystem. Under the guidance of the U.S. Chief Statistician, Ms. Rivers oversees the U.S. one-stop portal providing access to all restricted statistical data; thereby, implementing standardization and facilitating a collaborative culture. Within NCSES, Ms. Rivers spearheads efforts to provide data on the educational and career pathways that lead to contributions to the U.S. and global S&E enterprise.