D
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflicts of Interest

The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determine that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

Dr. Charles F. McMillan was determined to have a conflict of interest because of his compensated service on advisory boards to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) weapons laboratories—Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). At LANL, Dr. McMillan serves on the Weapons Capability Review Committee. At SNL, Dr. McMillan chairs the external review committee for Radiation Electronics and High Energy Density Science. The National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of the individual was needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it was established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who did not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict was unavoidable and publicly disclosed it on its website (www.nationalacademies.org).

Dr. Karen E. Willcox was determined to have a conflict of interest because of her compensated service on advisory boards to the NNSA weapons laboratories—LANL and SNL. At LANL, Dr. Willcox serves on the Advanced Simulation and Computing Advisory

Board. At SNL, Dr. Willcox serves on the external review board for the Computing and Information Sciences Research Foundation. The National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of the individual was needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it was established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who did not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict was unavoidable and publicly disclosed it on its website (www.nationalacademies.org).