Mr. Larry Rudolph was appointed general counsel for the National Science Foundation (NSF) on May 21, 1995. In NSF's Office of the General Counsel (OGC), he serves as the legal adviser and advocate for the NSF director, the National Science Board and the NSF in general. OGC is responsible for the entire range of legal issues at the foundation, although it primarily addresses matters pertaining to government grants and contracts, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy and Sunshine Act, conflicts of interest, intellectual property, federal personnel practices, the environment, regulation of research, federal administrative procedures, international agreements and law and science policy.

Prior to his appointment as general counsel, Rudolph served the agency as assistant general counsel and then deputy general counsel. Before coming to NSF in 1988, he was a senior attorney and then deputy assistant director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1982 to 1988; an associate at the D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand from 1978 to 1982; and a staff attorney with the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission's Office of Proceedings from 1976 to 1978.

Rudolph has substantial experience in administrative and court litigation, law and science policy issues and environmental issues involving the U.S. Antarctic Program. He has written articles and spoken on issues as diverse as scientific misconduct, technology transfer, the human genome, Antarctic environmental regulation and investigator financial disclosure. In recognition of his career achievements, dedication to human resource development and overall contributions to the management of the agency, he received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive in 1997. He also received the director's Distinguished Service Award in 1999, the highest honorary award conferred by the foundation upon those "who render singularly outstanding service within or beyond their required duties." In 2002, he received the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, the highest career civil service award conveyed by the president in recognition of sustained extraordinary accomplishments and for leadership exemplifying the highest standards of service to the public.

Rudolph earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (Summa Cum Laude) from Adelphi University in 1973, and was the first alumnus ever appointed to serve a three-year term on the university's board of trustees immediately following graduation. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, where he also served as lead articles editor for The Tax Lawyer Law Review. He is admitted to the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania Bars, the D.C. District Court and Circuit Court of Appeals, and he is also a member of the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations.