David Van Wie

Dr. David Van Wie is the head of the Air and Missile Defense Sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, responsible for programs advancing the ability of the nation to protect and defend our homeland, deployed forces, allies, and partners against adversarial threats. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Van Wie served as mission area executive for Precision Strike, focusing on advanced weapon development, electromagnetic spectrum dominance, and novel long-range detection and targeting systems. He has published extensively in the fields of hypersonics, high-temperature fluid dynamics, airbreathing propulsion, and plasma aerodynamics. Dr. Van Wie is currently a member of the Defense Science Board and holds a faculty position in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a recipient of the Air Force Award for Meritorious Civilian Service. In 2021, Dr. Van Wie presented the AIAA Theodore von Kármán Lecture in Astrodynamics. Dr. Van Wie earned his B.S. (summa cum laude), M.S., and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.