Dr. Hughes was director of the Materials Science Center at Cornell from 1968-74, a senior science policy analyst in the Office of the Science Adviser to the President in 1974, and served as assistant director of the National Science Foundation from 1974-76. In 1980, Dr. Hughes accepted the position of President at Associated Universities, Inc. (a non-profit association which manages national research laboratories for Government Agencies). Dr. Hughes was made Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Cornell University in 1988.