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Shirley Ann Jackson was the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is a physicist and former U.S. Undersecretary of Energy. Jackson was the first African-American woman to lead a major research university in the United States. She served as president of Rensselaer from 1999 to 2013. During her tenure, Jackson oversaw the expansion of the university's research facilities and the establishment of new academic programs.