APL’s Emerging Technology and Innovation Manager to Leverage New, Innovative Technology

Victor McCrary has been appointed the Emerging Technology and Innovation Manager in the Research and Exploratory Development Department (REDD) at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. The position was created to ensure that APL remains well positioned to leverage nascent technology efforts.

McCrary will focus on finding emerging and disruptive technologies developed at U.S. universities and other research institutions, and forming research partnerships that are important to maintaining APL’s technological competitive edge. He likens his new role to that of a prospector: “I’m going to be looking for diamonds in the rough” he says, “seeking new and innovative technology ‘gold nuggets’ that APL can then utilize to strengthen our research and development base and better serve our business areas and their sponsors.”

He will also work to strengthen the Laboratory’s relationships with national laboratories — including the National Institute of Standards and Technology [Gaithersburg, Md.], Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [Livermore, Calif.], and Oak Ridge National Laboratory [Oak Ridge, Tenn.] — with an eye toward future joint opportunities.

“I want to expand APL’s portal to the greater science and technology community, such that APL staff can come to REDD and say, ‘I have this major problem to overcome, what unique approaches are you aware of, and who is doing the relevant R&D in this area?’ and we will know who those people are.”

McCrary joined APL in 2003 as the Science and Technology Business Area Executive, overseeing a $10 million internal research and development portfolio and evaluating research and development projects that complement APL’s strategic objectives. In that position, he maintained relationships with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and cultivated alliances with national and international scientific organizations, such as the American Chemical Society, to increase APL’s presence in the global scientific community.

He serves on advisory boards for several technology centers, including the Center for Advanced Nanoscale Materials at the University of Puerto Rico, and the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing at the University of Massachusetts. He is a Fellow of the African Science Institute; serves as president of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; and is a lecturer in the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Masters of Technology Management program.

McCrary earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Catholic University; an executive master’s of science and engineering from the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; and a doctorate in physical chemistry from Howard University.