John S. Pistole, the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, is stepping down, according to an agency statement released Thursday.

Pistole was nominated to the post by President Obama in 2010, and he made the decision to put in place enhanced pat-downs and full body scans at airports. Despite controversy over additional security, Pistole also headed the creation of the TSA PreCheck program, which allows travelers who passed a security review to skip some lines and security checks at airports. 

According to the TSA statement, Pistole plans to take a job in academia, having already served 30 years in the public sector.