James Dickerson

James H. Dickerson, Ph.D., MBA, is the inaugural director of the ASCET Center of Excellence for ASTM International. ASCET (Advancing Standardization for Critical and Emerging Technologies) is a transformative initiative to accelerate private sector-driven U.S. engagement and capacity building in the development and implementation of international industry standards in critical and emerging technologies, such as AI, biotechnology, quantum, and semiconductors.

After a postdoctoral position at Columbia University, he joined Vanderbilt University as an assistant professor of physics. Later, he was promoted to associate professor of physics with tenure and associate professor of chemistry with tenure. Thereafter, he became the assistant director for the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy Nanoscale Science Research Center. Before joining ASTM International in July 2025, Dickerson was most recently the chief scientific officer of Consumer Reports, the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization.

Dickerson received a BA in physics from Amherst College and a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  Later, he earned his MBA from Wharton. Dickerson is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.