Biden Nominates NASA Engineer for DOD R&D Role

On Sept. 28, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will nominate Aprille Joy Ericsson to be assistant secretary of defense for science and technology. The position oversees the Department of Defense’s early-stage R&D portfolio, including its laboratory system and basic research efforts.

DOD created the role in a reorganization this past summer that replaced the three deputy chief technology officer positions it previously had with equivalent assistant secretary positions that now require Senate confirmation.

Ericsson holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Howard University and has worked at NASA for three decades, currently as new business lead for the Instrument Systems and Technology Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

The Biden administration’s previous appointee to the equivalent deputy CTO role was Barbara McQuiston, who has since become chair of the board of directors for the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). Career official Steven Wax is currently serving as the assistant secretary on an interim basis.