Dr. William H. Farland is the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) for Science in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD). A member of the government’s Senior Executive Service, Dr. Farland’s permanent position is as the Chief Scientist in the Office of the Agency Science Advisor. Formerly, Dr. Farland was Director of the EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) which has major responsibility for the conduct of chemical specific risk assessments in support of EPA regulatory programs, the development of Agency-wide guidance on risk assessment, and the conduct of research to improve risk assessment. NCEA was established in May 1995 under Dr. Farland’s leadership. Prior to his appointment as Center Director, Dr. Farland was Director, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment. He had served in this position since 1988. Prior to his selection as Office Director, Dr. Farland served as the Director, Carcinogen Assessment Group and Acting Director, Reproductive Effects Assessment Group. Dr. Farland began his EPA career in 1979 as a Health Scientist in the EPA’s Office of Toxic Substances, while he continued his research endeavors at The George Washington University. Dr. Farland’s career has been characterized by a commitment to the development of national and international approaches to the testing and assessment of the fate and effects of environmental agents. Dr. Farland has received a number of awards and honors, including an EPA Silver Medal and several Bronze Medals, for this work.

Dr. Farland holds a Ph.D. (1976) from UCLA in Cell Biology and Biochemistry, an M.A. (1972) in Zoology from the same institution and a B.S. (1970) from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He was awarded an Individual National Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute to pursue postdoctoral training in DNA Damage and Repair at the University of California, Irvine and at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Dr. Farland serves on a number of committees and advisory boards. He is currently serving as Acting co-Chair of the EPA-wide Science Policy Committee. Within the Federal government, he is a member of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) Executive Committee, EPA Liaison to the Public Health Service Environmental Health Policy Committee (EHPC), and co-chair of the Research and Data Needs Subcommittee of the President’s Task Force on Children’s Environmental Health and Safety Risks. He also currently serves as co-Chair of the Office of Science and Technology’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources’ (CENR) Toxics and Risk Subcommittee. Dr. Farland served as co-chair of the Federal Liaison Group (FLG) to the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Risk Assessment Methods (CRAM). He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, a public member of the American Chemistry Council’s Strategic Science Team for its Long Term Research Program , a member of the Science Advisory Panel on EMF Research at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and member of the Advisory Board for the Department of Energy’s Biological Effects of Low-Dose Radiation Program. Dr. Farland is a former member of the Council of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and an active participant in Annual Meetings of the SRA and the Society of Toxicology (SOT). He has been a member of the Editorial Board for Risk Analysis since 1987 and for Environmental Health Perspectives since 1997. He continues to publish, and to teach in affiliation with Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University and The George Washington University.

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Assistant Administrator
Associate Assistant Administrator
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management