DHS to lose research exec

The Homeland Security Department's chief guru for research and development has decided to leave.

Penrose "Parney" Albright, assistant secretary for programs, plans and budgets in the department’s Science and Technology Directorate, submitted his letter of resignation to President Bush this week. Albright's last day on the job has not been determined.

Albright has had held the job since October 2003. He played a crucial role in developing DHS' strategy for research and development. In June 2002, he led the planning team that helped the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy develop the directorate for the proposed DHS.

"I know our country will long benefit from the programs he helped to establish to develop new technologies that make the homeland more secure," DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement.