Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force

Chief Scientist of the Air Force
Incumbent Dr. Victoria Coleman since April 6, 2021
Inaugural holder	Dr. Ivan Alexander Getting

The Chief Scientist of the Air Force is the most senior science & technology representative in the United States Department of the Air Force. The current Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is Victoria Coleman, sworn in on April 6, 2021.^[1][2]

Roles and responsibilities[]

The Chief Scientist of the Air Force has several roles and responsibilities, including:^[3]

• Serves as chief science and technology adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Space Operations, and the Secretary of the Air Force
• Provides assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission
• Identifies and analyzes technical issues and brings them to the attention of Air Force leaders, and interacts with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science and technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions
• Interacts with other services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on issues affecting the Air Force in-house technical enterprise
• Serves on the Steering Committee and Senior Review Group of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
• Principal science and technology representative of the Air Force to the civilian scientific and engineering community and to the public at large

Products of the Office of the Chief Scientist[]

The Office of the Chief Scientist has conducted several strategic studies including:

• Technology Horizons
• Energy Horizons^[4]
• Cyber Vision 2025, summarized in the Armed Forces Journal^[5]
• Global Horizons

Chronological list of Chief Scientists of the Air Force[]

No.	Picture	Name	Term of Office	Doctorate	Chief of Staff	Secretary	Military Assistant
37		Dr. Victoria Coleman	April 6, 2021 – Incumbent	University of Manchester, Computer Science, 1988	Charles Q. Brown Jr.	John P. Roth Frank Kendall III	Col Jason Vap (2021-) Col Mario Serna (2019-2021)
36		Dr. Richard J. Joseph	January 2018 – April 5, 2021	University of Texas at Austin, Physics, 1979	Charles Q. Brown Jr.	Barbara Barrett	Col Mario Serna (2019-2021) Col Michelle Ewy (2016-2019)
					David L. Goldfein	Heather Wilson
35		Dr. Greg Zacharias	June 2015 – January 2018	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Instrumentation, Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1977	Mark Welsh	Deborah Lee James	Col Michelle Ewy (2016–2019) Col Anne L. Clark (2015–2016)
34		Dr. Mica Endsley	June 2013 – May 2015	University of Southern California, Industrial & Systems Engineering, 1990	Mark Welsh	Deborah Lee James	Col Anne L. Clark (2014-2015) Col James (Monty) Greer (2013-2014)
33		Dr. Mark T. Maybury	October 2010– May 2013	University of Cambridge, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), 1991	Mark Welsh	Michael B. Donley	Col James (Monty) Greer (2012–2013) Col Rod Miller (2011–2012) Col Eric Silkowski (2010–2011)
					Norton A. Schwartz
32		Dr. Werner J. A. Dahm	October 2008– September 30, 2010	California Institute of Technology, Aeronautics, 1985	Norton A. Schwartz	Michael B. Donley	Col Eric Silkowski (2008–2010)
31		Dr. Mark J. Lewis	October 2004 – October 2008	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aeronautics & Astronautics, 1988	T. Michael Moseley	Michael Wynne	Col Robert Fredell (2006–2008)
					John P. Jumper	James G. Roche	Col Daniel DeForest (2004–2006)
30		Dr.	2001–2004	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering (Control Systems), 1968	John P. Jumper	James G. Roche	Col Daniel DeForest (2004) Col John Bedford (Sept. 2001 to 2003) Col Donald Erbschloe (-Dec 2001)
29		Dr.	1999–2001	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering, 1975	Michael E. Ryan	James G. Roche Lawrence J. Delaney F. Whitten Peters	Col Donald Erbschloe (1998–2001)
28		Dr. Daniel E. Hastings	1997–1999	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Plasma Physics, 1980; (B.A. Oxford in Mathematics)		F. Whitten Peters
27		Dr. Ed Feigenbaum	1994–1997	Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University)	Ronald R. Fogleman	Sheila E. Widnall	Col (1994–1998)
					Merrill A. McPeak
26		Dr.	1991–1994		Merrill A. McPeak	Merrill A. McPeak Michael B. Donley Donald B. Rice	Col James Whiting (1991–1994)
25		Dr.	1988–1991		John M. Loh Michael Dugan Larry D. Welch	Donald B. Rice John J. Welch, Jr. James F. McGovern	Col Dan Heitz (1988–1989) and Col John Woody (1989–1991)
24		Dr.	1985–1988	UCLA, Electrical Engineering, 1966	Larry D. Welch Charles A. Gabriel	Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Verne Orr	Col Robert Hovde (1983–1987) and Col Robert Lancaster (1987–1988)
23			1983–1985	UCLA, Engineering	Charles A. Gabriel	Verne Orr	Col Robert Hovde (1983–1987)
22			1979–1982		Lew Allen Jr.	Hans Mark	Col Michael Mottern (1982–1983) Col Robert Bannach (1981–1982)
21		Harry L. Van Trees	1978–1979			John C. Stetson	Col Robert Dundervill Jr. (1977–1981)
20			1975–1978		David C. Jones	John C. Stetson Thomas C. Reed James W. Plummer	BGen Charles Cabell Jr. (1976–1977)
19		Dr. Michael I. Yarymovych	1973–1975	B. Eng Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering, New York University 1955, D Eng SC, 1960 Columbia University, Institute of Flight Structures	David C. Jones George S. Brown John Dale Ryan	James W. Plummer John L. McLucas	Col James Strub (1974–1976)
18		Eugene E. Covert	1972–1973	MIT PhD Magnetohydrodynamics	John D. Ryan	Robert C. Seamans, Jr.	Col Thaddeus Welch Jr. (1971–1974)
17			1970–1972	MIT Undergraduate 1941; PhD MIT, Civil Engineering			LtCol Frank Attinger Jr. (1966–1971)
16		John J. Welch, Jr.	1969–1970	Undergraduate MIT Mechanical Engineering 1951
15			1968–1969	Undergraduate Ohio State, Physics, MIT PhD	John P. McConnell	Robert C. Seamans, Jr. Harold Brown
14			1966–1968	University of Rochester 1944 PhD Mechanical Engineering MIT 1950		Harold Brown
13		Robert G. Loewy	1965–1966	RPI, MIT Masters 1948			Col Mike Zubon (1962–1966)
12		Dr.	1964–1965	BS Aeronautical Engineering, MIT, 1951, PhD MIT Aero Instrumentation	John P. McConnell Curtis E. LeMay	Eugene M. Zuckert
11			1963–1964		Curtis E. LeMay
10		Dr.	1962–1963	Physiology
9		Dr.	1961–1962				Col Loyd Jensen (1961–1962)
8		Alexander H. Flax	1959–1961	New York University, Aeronautical Engineering, 1940	Thomas D. White	Dudley C. Sharp James H. Douglas, Jr.	Col David Pearsall (1957–1961)
7		Joseph V. Charyk	1959	Univ of Alberta, Engineering Physics 1942; California Institute of Technology PhD 1946		James H. Douglas, Jr.
6			1957–1958	University of Rochester, Physics, 1939
5			1956–1957	M.S. MIT 1941; Princeton Honorary PhD, 2001	Nathan F. Twining	James H. Douglas, Jr. Donald A. Quarles	Col John Taylor (1954–1957)
4		Dr. Horton Guyford Stever	1955–1956	California Institute of Technology, Physics, 1941		Donald A. Quarles Harold E. Talbott
3		Dr. Chalmers W. Sherwin	1954–1955	University of Chicago, Experimental Physics 1940 (with Arthur Dempster)		Harold E. Talbott
2		David T. Griggs	1951–1952	Junior Fellow in Geology at University of Harvard	Hoyt S. Vandenberg	Thomas K. Finletter	Col Theodore Walkowicz(1950–1954)
1		Dr. Louis N. Ridenour reported to MGen Gordon P. Saville DCS/D	1950–1951	California Institute of Technology, Physics, 1936			Col Peter Shenk (1950)
None		Gen James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle (Special Assistant for Scientific Matters)	1951	MIT Sc.D. in Aeronautics, June 1925
None		Dr. Ivan Alexander Getting (Special Assistant for Evaluation)	1950	University of Oxford (Rhodes Scholar), Astrophysics, 1935		William S. Symington

References[]

External links[]

• "Biography of Mark T. Maybury". United States Air Force. October 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.