Jamie L. Vernon

Executive Director & CEO, Sigma Xi
Publisher, American Scientist

Jamie Vernon, who is a Sigma Xi member, has been on the Society’s staff since 2014 as the director of science communications and publications as well as editor-in-chief of the Society’s magazine, American Scientist. Vernon also served as interim co-director of operations of Sigma Xi from 2014–2015, working closely with co-director Jasmine Shah and Sigma Xi’s executive committee to manage the $3M headquarters operations following the departure of the previous executive director.

As director of science communications and publications, Vernon managed the publication content, finances, and operations for Sigma Xi, which regularly communicates to its 100,000 members. As editor-in-chief of American Scientist, he oversaw the publication of a bi-monthly science magazine with a print circulation of 50,000 and 250,000 unique online visitors monthly. He also oversaw the publication of an online research journal for high school students, Chronicle of The New Researcher. 

Prior to joining Sigma Xi, Dr. Vernon served as Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, DC where he designed and implemented evaluation programs to measure and communicate the impacts of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. He also co-founded a small-business incubator that supported a network of business experts to solve global energy challenges.

From 2011-2013, Dr. Vernon served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow in EERE at DOE. While there, he led an initiative to inform the public about their access to energy usage data and to promote the adoption of energy efficiency technologies and behaviors, a project requested by former Vice President Joe Biden. Vernon also helped launch the first National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition, an Obama-era DOE program to inspire and promote entrepreneurship.

Dr. Vernon was co-chair of the digital media team of the Interagency Communication and Education Team of the United States Global Change Research Program in Washington, DC in 2012-2013. He worked with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to coordinate communications among all federal agencies conducting climate research.

Dr. Vernon earned his BS in zoology at North Carolina State University, his MS in molecular biology/ biotechnology at East Carolina University, and his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds one patent and has seven publications.