Appleby to Serve as Draper Deputy to V.P. of Engineering for Science & Technology
CAMBRIDGE, MA – Draper Laboratory named Brent Appleby to serve in a newly created position as deputy to its vice president of engineering for science and technology, where he will develop and execute an acquisition strategy for critical and disruptive technologies.
Appleby, who has worked at Draper since 1983, returns to the Lab following a two-year assignment at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as the deputy director of the Systems Technology Office (STO). Appleby’s service at DARPA, which was coordinated through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA), entailed overseeing high risk program development, new technology development, and transitioning technology to solutions that meet critical military missions.
“This experience provided Brent with a broad perspective of new technology development targeted toward significant military missions,” said John Dowdle, Draper’s vice president for engineering, who noted that Appleby brings significant experience in Draper’s core business of guidance, navigation and control (GN&C), broad knowledge of autonomous systems technologies, and an in-depth understanding of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems to the new position.
Appleby joined Draper as an undergraduate student in 1983, became a Draper Laboratory Fellow in 1984, and became a member of the technical staff in 1990. Prior to joining DARPA, he held various management positions within the Laboratory’s algorithms and software directorate, including mission systems division leader, leader of the tactical ISR division, and group leader of autonomous systems.
Appleby holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT.