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 Act (GPRA) of 1993. The NSF plan avoided prescriptive quantitative metrics and retained a discipline-based organization focused on funding excellent basic research, with expert peer review evaluation as the main criterion for success. On the programmatic side, the agency realigned and re-competed the NSF Supercomputer Centers, in response to rapid changes in scientific computing, and the NSF Science and Technology Centers. NSF also established the CAREER program for young investigators and began implementation of the first federal agency electronic system for proposal submission and review. During Lane's tenure, the
NSF created the major research equipment budget line, which supported several construction projects, including the
Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), the first
GEMINI telescope, and the new
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station, part of the U.S. Antarctic Program. In response to employee needs, NSF established the first child-development center for its personnel. In April 1998, at one of Lane's last
Congressional hearings as NSF Director, when asked to speculate on the future, he said: ''"If I were asked for an area of science and engineering that will most likely produce the breakthroughs of tomorrow I would point to nanoscale science and engineering, often called simply 'nanotechnology'."''
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy In August 1998, Lane was appointed President Bill Clinton's science advisor, a dual position as assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House
OSTP, the latter requiring Senate confirmation. As assistant to the president for science and technology, Lane also served as the federal co-chair of the
President's Committee on Science and Technology (PCAST). As science advisor to
President Clinton, Lane worked to promote the administration's science and technology initiatives and, specifically, championed the advancement of basic scientific research in the U.S. During Lane's tenure, the
White House OSTP dealt with policies related to
stem cell research,
food safety,
missile defense,
climate change, the
U.S. space program. (e.g., launch of the first elements of the
International Space Station), and the
Human Genome Project, (e.g., release of the first draft sequence of the
human genome), the
National Nanotechnology Initiative, and international cooperation in science and technology.
Current work Serving until the end of the
Clinton administration, Lane returned to
Rice in 2001 as the institution's first university professor, also serving as professor of physics and astronomy and senior fellow of Rice University's
Baker Institute for Public Policy. He retired from his faculty positions as
Malcolm Gillis University Professor and professor of physics and astronomy on January 1, 2015. Lane continues to serves as senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and co-director of the Baker Institute's Science and Technology Policy Program alongside Dr.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews. The Baker Institute is a top-ranked university-affiliated nonpartisan
public policy think tank with research programs in
energy policy;
health policy;
tax and expenditure policy;
Latin America,
Mexico,
Middle East, and
China studies;
drug policy;
international economics;
politics and
elections; religion policy;
space policy; and
science and
technology policy. Lane has worked with Matthews on numerous projects, including the International Stem Cell Policy Initiative and the Civic Scientist Initiative. Lane continues to lecture, provide Congressional testimony, meet with students, scholars and leaders in education, business and public policy. He also serves on
non-profit boards and advisory committees that focus on science and technology, science and mathematics education, and federal policy. He co-chaired (with
Norman Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of
Lockheed Martin Corp.) a study of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences that led to the 2014 report "Restoring the Foundation – The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance. == Personal life ==