March 20, 2019
John F. Ahearne, who served as Sigma Xi executive director from 1989–1997, died on March 12 at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was 85 years old.
He was inducted into Sigma Xi in 1964 and became executive director as Sigma Xi moved its headquarters from New Haven, Connecticut, to Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He also directed Sigma Xi’s ethics program and wrote the popular ethics booklet, The Responsible Researcher: Paths and Pitfalls (1999), a companion volume to Sigma Xi’s widely-circulated guidebook, Honor in Science. The Responsible Researcher addresses ethical issues relevant to all of academia, industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations. He was named executive director emeritus in recognition of his many contributions to Sigma Xi and was featured in American Scientist’s “100 Reasons to Become a Scientist or Engineer,” as the 91st scientist in the article to chime in about his inspirations for entering the research sector (he credited his mentors and role models).
Dr. Ahearne was a physicist who was an expert on nuclear power and nuclear weapons. He served as the deputy assistant secretary for resource applications in the United States Department of Energy and was the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He worked on the staff of the White House Energy Policy and Planning Office and became a commissioner and chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which formulates policies and develops regulations governing nuclear reactor and nuclear material safety. He also served as vice chairman of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee.
He was active on the National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences committees and was a past president of the Society for Risk Analysis. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Society for Risk Analysis, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dr. Ahearne earned his PhD in physics from Princeton University. He served in the United States Air Force from 1959 to 1970 and taught at the Air Force Academy, Colorado College, the University of Colorado Extension, and Duke University.
If you have a story to share about Dr. Ahearne for a future article on Sigma Xi’s blog or newsletter, please send it to executiveoffice@sigmaxi.org. You may leave condolences for the Ahearne family on the website of Walker’s Funeral Home.