Bruce Weir, professor of biostatistics at the University of Washington School of Public Health, was recently named to the Biology/DNA committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The panel is one of five Scientific Area Committees tasked with helping the institute establish new forensic science standards and guidelines. The institute, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, seeks to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology, from nanoscale devices to skyscrapers.

Weir is a pioneer of statistical genetics and an expert in forensic genetics. Former chair of the Department of Biostatistics, he was recently appointed Associate Director of the School’s Institute of Public Health Genetics.

He leads a large genetic study of Hispanic/Latino populations, directs the Genetics Analysis Center in Biostatistics, the Statistical Genetics Training Grant and the Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics. He is also an adjunct professor of Genome Sciences.