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ESE Spring Seminar – “Advancing the Endless Frontier- Opportunities to Engage on Basic Research at the DoD”
March 26 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The Department of Defense (DoD)’s Basic Research Office (BRO) sets scientific priorities aimed toward ensuring DoD is a leader in scientific discovery and identifying new paths for investigation. The office is responsible for oversight and management of DoD’s ~$2.9 B basic research investment in high risk, high pay-off research and manages programs including the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, MURI, Minerva, and pilot programs such as the Newton Award. In this presentation, Dr. Nair, the DoD’s Director of Basic Research will discuss the BRO approach to basic research, which includes the use-inspired questions on fundamental processes, but also true ‘blue sky’ science with no application in mind. After presenting the BRO framework for supporting basic research, Dr. Nair will discuss intriguing developments and future directions for funding at BRO.
Dr. Bindu Nair
Director for Basic Research within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
Dr. Bindu Nair is the Director for Basic Research within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). In this role, she is responsible for oversight and coordination of the Department’s ~$2.9 billion investment in basic science. She previously served as the Deputy Director of OSD’s Human Performance, Training and Biosystems Directorate. Prior to OSD, Dr. Nair worked for the Department of the Army with oversight responsibilities over the science and technology program in power and energy. She has worked in the DoD laboratory system at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center as well as in private industry at Foster Miller. Her research expertise is in the field of Material Science and Engineering including nanomaterials, polymers, and organic electronic materials. She has published primarily in membrane and materials development fields and holds patents in fuel cell technologies. Dr. Nair holds a B.Sc from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Materials Science and Engineering.