Lara Schmidt was selected as the new vice chair of the scientific advisory board of the Department of the Air Force.
The Air Force said Monday that Schmidt, an Aerospace Corp. vice president, will reportedly play a pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness and overall direction of the advisory board.
Schmidt will focus on studying topics determined by the Air Force secretary. Her other responsibilities include providing technology application recommendations and evaluating the department’s science and technology programs.
The SAB, formed in 1944, is composed of experts in the field of S&T, manufacturing, acquisition process and other matters relevant to the department. It advises the DAF leadership on scientific and technological matters and identifies tech use-cases to help in the development of new capabilities for the Air Force and Space Force.
Schmidt has been a member of the scientific advisory board since 2016.
The American University-trained mathematician is also the VP of defense architectures and integration in the defense systems group at Aerospace. Before that, she was the associate general manager of the communications and navigations capabilities division.