Speakers
Captain Matthew R. O'Neal assumed duties as Commanding Officer of Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC Atlantic) on July 18, 2024. NIWC Atlantic hosts more than 4,900 federal civilian and military personnel and approximately 9,000 industry partners. NIWC Atlantic's main campus is in Charleston, South Carolina, with offices spanning 12 major geographical areas inside and outside the continental United States. NIWC Atlantic is a Navy engineering and technology command, and in his role, O'Neal oversees the full-spectrum research and development, test and evaluation, engineering design, development and fleet support across the complete Information Warfare domain.
Raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, CAPT O'Neal was commissioned in 2002 after graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. He holds Master's degrees in computer science and business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to his role as NIWC Atlantic's Commanding Officer, CAPT O'Neal was assigned as Director for Naval Enterprise Networks in Program Executive Office (PEO) Digital and Enterprise Services.
Commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) and later transferring to Engineering Duty Officer, he has served at sea aboard USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) leading the Sixth Fleet flagship's communications systems maintenance department, USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3) where he earned SWO qualification aboard the flagship of the first West Coast Expeditionary Strike Group, and on the staff of Amphibious Squadron Three as assistant operations officer.
His shore assignments include Deputy Technical Director for the Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG) 1000-Class Combat System (IWS 9.0), Deputy Branch Head and Resource Officer for Protected Transport programs for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6), Assistant Program Manager in the Information Assurance and Cyber Security Program Office (PMW 130), DDG Type Desk Officer for Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Computer and Network Defense Project Officer at Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (formerly Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific).
Personal awards include the Meritorious Service, Navy Commendation, and Navy Achievement Medals. He is authorized to wear various unit, campaign, and service awards.
Dr. Kevin P. Newmeyer is the Acting Director for the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP). The HPCMP is a multi-Service/Agency program administered by the Army Corps of Engineers that provides an enabling HPC ecosystem of supercomputers, networks, and advanced software to the DOD science and technology, test and evaluation, and acquisition engineering communities in support of Department of Defense objectives for physics-based modeling and advanced data analytic with a budget of more than $400 M in annual operations and acquisition funds. Dr. Newmeyer assumed his duties in January 2024 after serving as the Program's Deputy Director since Dec 2019.
Prior to joining the HPCMP, Dr. Newmeyer served as a Professor of Practice at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies developing and teaching courses for international students in cybersecurity, homeland defense, and civil-military affairs. He is a retired U.S. Navy Officer and a former international civil servant with the Organization of American States. These positions entailed extensive contacts with government, nongovernment, and private sector organizations at executive and senior levels in the United Sates and abroad.
Dr. Newmeyer is fluent in Spanish and has been a frequent commentator on cybersecurity, national security affairs, and related topics. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he also holds degrees from the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset and the Escuela Diplomática de España in international affairs, a Master's in Business Administration from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Walden University. He is a standing panelist for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Public Interest Commitment Dispute Resolution Panel. Dr. Newmeyer also serves as an Adjunct Professor for Excelsior University teaching courses in cybersecurity and national security policy.
Dr. Robert D. Moser, a member of the Senior Executive Service, serves as Director of the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). As ITL Director, Dr. Moser provides leadership in the development and execution of a broad range of R&D and operational programs on behalf of the USACE, the Army, the Department of Defense (DOD), and other federal agencies focused on computational science, information science, information technology, high-performance computing, high-bandwidth communications and data transfer, geographic information systems, software engineering, and scientific visualization. Additionally, the ITL operates and manages the DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) one of the five DOD Supercomputing Resource Centers. The ITL executes these mission requirements with an annual operating budget of over $550M and staff of over 700 federal and contractor personnel. Dr. Moser also serves as the Authorizing Official for the DOD-Wide Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN), serves as ERDC's Chief Information Officer (CIO), and leads ERDC's Engineered Resilient Systems R&D Area.
Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Moser served as Senior Scientific Technical Manager in the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory of ERDC. In this position, he led program development and oversight, S&T and organizational strategy, enterprise capability and talent development, as well as partnerships and collaboration across the ERDC and its partners. His primary technical focus for these efforts included material science, computational modeling, multi-physics modeling and sensing, asset management, and advanced manufacturing.
He is an active member of professional societies and is an adjunct professor at four institutions. Dr. Moser has received multiple awards for his work including the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award, the Army Engineer Association's Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal, USACE Innovation of the Year Awards; numerous Army, USACE, and ERDC awards related to his R&D, program development, and team building activities; National Academy of Engineering's Frontiers of Engineering; and USACE Researcher of the Year Award. He has published over 200 technical publications including over 80 referred journal articles. He received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a focus on structural mechanics and materials science.
Dr. Moser is originally from Stuart, FL and currently resides in Vicksburg, MS with his wife Jen and son Calvin. He is an avid fisherman, woodworker, do-it-yourselfer, and foodie.
Dr. Forrest Shull is the Principal Director for Advanced Computing and Software at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)). With a strong background in software engineering and research, Dr. Shull leads the strategic direction for implementing advanced computing and software solutions across the Department of Defense (DoD), while coordinating scientific and technical development activities.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Shull served as the Lead for Defense Software Acquisition Policy Research at the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI). There, he led the SEI's technical response to the DoD, supporting critical initiatives and improving acquisition processes through the incorporation of modern software development practices. An important outcome was the development of the Department's first software-specific acquisition policy in 2020, which facilitated the rapid and iterative delivery of software capabilities to meet urgent user needs.
Before joining SEI, Dr. Shull spent 15 years at Fraunhofer USA, where he established and served as the Director of the Measurement and Knowledge Management Division. His extensive research work included collaborations with organizations such as the DoD, NASA, DARPA, the National Science Foundation, and commercial companies. Notably, his contributions to NASA software products earned him a Group Achievement Award for advancing the state-of-the-art in the software industry.
As a distinguished author, Dr. Shull has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications with more than 11,000 citations according to Google Scholar. He has been actively involved in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society, serving as its President in 2021. During his tenure, he spearheaded the development of a competitive funding process for pilot activities in emerging technologies and initiated collaborations between academia, government, and industry to address crucial technical topics. Prior to his presidency, Dr. Shull served on the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee since 2015, leading data-driven decision-making initiatives and transforming the Society to better serve its members' needs. From 2011 to 2014, he also served as the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Software, where he oversaw the launch of a new digital edition and expanded the magazine's multimedia reach.
With his expertise and accomplishments in the field of software engineering, Dr. Shull is instrumental in driving the advancement and integration of cutting-edge computing and software solutions to enhance the capabilities of the DoD.
Mr. Keith Obenschain the Chief Technology Officer for the DoD HPCMP. Mr. Obenschain brings a wealth of HPC experience and has been a computer scientist with the Naval Research Laboratories for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics department for more than 20 years, most recently as acting director of the Code. He has been Branch Head of the Laboratory for Advanced Computational Physics since 2020. He had led numerous efforts investigating emerging architectures and has designed Top500 class HPC systems. Mr. Obenschain supported the two previous CTOs for HPCMP, providing insights into how upcoming computing architectures will impact HPCMP and the wider DoD community. He is a co-holder of two patents and has published numerous scientific papers.
Mr. Stephen Bowman serves as the Associate Director of Security and Senior Information Security Officer for the DoD HPCMP. In this capacity, Mr. Bowman applies security intelligently across the multi-Service/Agency Program and promotes a secure, resilient, and productive environment for the Department's RDT&E communities. He leads a diverse workforce, including civilian representation from all Military Services, in securing, operating, and defending the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN) and Secret DREN (SDREN), the Department's premier RDT&E enterprise networks. Since assuming the role in 2020, Mr. Bowman has spearheaded high-priority cybersecurity initiatives, including the Program's recognition by the U.S. Cyber Command as a DoD information network Area of Operation. Mr. Bowman also oversees the execution of a broad range of applied research and advanced software development projects aimed at rapidly advancing the state-of-the-art in network defense and cyber risk management. Additionally, he serves as a Principal Advisor to the DoD HPCMP and DREN Authorizing Official and serves on multiple cybersecurity and networking advisory panels to represent the equities of the DoD RDT&E community.
Mr. Bowman has over 20 years of experience supporting DoD HPCMP, 13 years of which are U.S. Navy civilian service, in a variety of roles and responsibilities focused on program development, defense acquisitions for large-scale networking, and advanced technology evaluation, transfer, and implementation. As a Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic civilian, he previously supported the U.S. Naval Observatory and received the Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers award from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Bowman began his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory as a Computer Scientist.
Mr. Bowman earned a B.S. in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in Information Technology from Virginia Polytechnic University.
Rickey Gregg is a DoD civilian with the Navy Information Warfare Center (NIWC) based in Charleston, SC. Rickey primarily supports the High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) as the Cybersecurity Program Manager and is responsible for Risk Management Framework and cybersecurity implementation. Rickey has over 20 years of experience in DoD cybersecurity and risk management with a focus on non-standard security implementations supporting the RDT&E community and U.S. Military.
Ms. Batra assumed the role of AD for Resource Management in June 2024 after 15 years of experience with HPCMP. She oversees and directs all HPCMP Resource Management's areas of responsibilities including user system access and control, allocation, information resource management, data analytics, and Frontier Project oversight. She previously served as deputy AD for resource management, during which time led the adoption of pIE DevSecOps processes using Agile SCRUM methodology.
As a computer scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory, she has also served the AFRL DSRC as acquisition program manager and chief of the Enterprise Operations Center. She has also held roles as a contracting office representative and as a HPC Centers and CREATE senior financial analyst and requirements analyst.
Batra earned an M.S. in administration-information resource management from Central Michigan University and a B.S. computer studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Kevin L. Schoen is the Deputy Director of the Maui High Performance Computing Center (MHPCC) within the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate. Kevin has 39 years of Electronics and Computer Engineering research and development experience with 34 years of military and civilian service in the DoD and 17 years in the HPCMP. He works closely with the 60-person Government and contractor team who operate and maintain the MHPCC DoD Supercomputing Resource Center, empowering research and development for DoD needs. He leads the team operating, planning, and architecting High Performance Computing systems, defining requirements, selecting solutions, coordinating with customers, and assigning resources. He is co-chair of the new HPC-Enabled Modeling, Simulation and Analysis software institute seeking to develop advanced combat modeling, simulation and analysis capabilities using the HPC resources and applying Artificial Intelligence techniques to improve MS&A solutions for DoD planners.
In his role as Senior Scientist for High Fidelity M&S, Dr. Morton serves as the principal scientific authority and independent researcher in the research, development, and implementation of multi-physics, high fidelity modeling and simulation capability and their integration into higher campaign level simulations to meet future Air Force weapons and warfighter capabilities. He also serves as the senior leader driving the strategic direction of M&S for the enterprise and its integration into multi-domain capabilities and concepts.
Dr. Morton began his Air Force career in 1985 as a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps after graduating from Parks College of St. Louis University. During his career, he received his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology and he served in science and engineering positions at the Foreign Technology Division (currently the National Air and Space Intelligence Center), the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Flight Test Center, and finished his active duty career as a Professor of Aeronautics at the USAF Academy, where he established the Modeling and Simulation Research Center.
Dr. Morton began his civil service career in 2006 as a Principal Advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office. In other positions, he was an Associate Director of the U.S. Defense Department High Performance Computing Modernization Program with responsibility for software across the enterprise including the Computational Research Engineering Acquisition Tools and Environments (CREATE) Program. The CREATE Program produces a suite of 12 physics-based software products for design, virtual test, development, and deployment of air, land and sea vehicles and weapons systems delivering capabilities to the U.S. defense industry in response to prioritized needs of the U.S. armed services. He also spent more than 10 years as the Principal Developer of the Kestrel fixed wing aircraft product used by over 1,200 DoD and OEM engineers and scientists. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has specialized in the areas of high angle of attack aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, computational stability and control, high fidelity multidisciplinary aircraft system simulation, and surrogates for aircraft modeling, as well as M&S up the pyramid.
Dr. Andrew Wissink works for the US Army DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Technology Development Directorate and serves as the HPCMP CREATE Air Vehicles Project Manager. Prior to taking on this role, he was the Principal Developer of the HPCMP CREATE-AV Helios high-fidelity rotary-wing solver from 2015-2022 and was a CREATE software developer for a number of years before that. Prior to joining CREATE, he was a Computational Mathematician in the Center for Applied Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. He has authored more than 40 journal and conference papers, two book chapters, and co-authored 70 more. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Curtarolo's research interests lie at the intersection of materials science, artificial intelligence and autonomous discovery of new materials. After studying Electrical Engineering and Physics at the University of Padua, Italy, he received his MS in Physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and a PhD in Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003. Since then, he has been on the faculty of Materials Science, Physics and Electrical Engineering at Duke University. During his time at Duke, he has received several national/international awards and recognitions. His group started and maintains the quantum-cloud aflow.org consortium containing materials information and tools for more than 4,000,000+ compounds. His teams focus on developing autonomous daemons for materials discovery as well as tackle problems of synthesizability and manufacturability of amorphous/disordered systems. His work is funded by the Office of Naval Research.
Mr. E. Joseph Metzger is the head of the Open Ocean Processes and Predictions section (NRL Code 7323) that focuses on global ocean modeling and dynamics. He leads the team that transitions global ocean prediction systems from R&D to operations at Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. This started with the world's first near-global 1/16° eddy-resolving ocean nowcast/forecast system based on the NRL Layered Ocean Model (NLOM) that went operational in 2001. It was followed by the Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) 3.0 that contained a next generation ocean model based on the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) that was operational in 2013. GOFS 3.1 came next in 2018 with the addition of a two-way coupled Community Ice CodE (CICE) and most recently the Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) that includes fully coupled atmosphere (NAVy Global Environmental Model), ocean (HYCOM), sea ice (CICE), and surface wave (WAVEWATCH III®) models and the associated data assimilation. His team is involved in developing these global prediction systems and performing validation and verification before transition to the operational environment at the Navy DSRC.
Dr. Daniel Prosser is the Fixed-Wing Team Lead in the Applied Aerodynamics Branch at the Naval Air Warcraft Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, Maryland. In his role at NAWCAD, he leads a team that uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and other aerodynamics tools to perform engineering analysis for the Navy's fixed-wing aircraft, stores, and related systems. The team also interfaces with other groups to solve multidisciplinary engineering problems, provide data needed to certify flight clearances, inform acquisition and sustainment, and support operations. He is also a member of the HPCMP CREATE-AV Quality Assurance team, which is responsible for testing, training, and user support for the CREATE-AV Kestrel and Helios CFD tools.
Dr. Prosser graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. The title of his master's thesis was “Flapping Wing Design for a Dragonfly-Like Micro Air Vehicle.” After leaving RIT, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he obtained an MS in Aerospace Engineering in 2013 and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2015. His PhD dissertation was titled “Advanced Computational Techniques for Unsteady Aerodynamic-Dynamic Interactions of Bluff Bodies.” He joined NAWCAD in 2015, where he initially worked in the Applied Aerodynamics and Store Separation Branch. He became the Fixed-Wing Team Lead in the Applied Aerodynamics Branch in 2022.
Dr. Leonard assumed the role of acting deputy director of HPCMP in June 2024. As the associate director for workforce development, she has led several initiatives to increase the reach of HPCMP internship and faculty immersion experiences and began a partnership with the Department of Energy ORISE programs.
Prior to that role, she served as Acting Chief of the Cybersecurity Engineering and Analysis Branch at ITL. She also served as the Cybersecurity Research Lead for the HPCMP Security Team, where she worked on new technologies, tools, and techniques that enable the HPCMP to defend, mitigate, and secure the Defense Supercomputing Resource Centers and the Defense Research and Engineering Network. Her other ERDC experience includes time as a Code IV Supervisor for the CEAB and a Strategic Integration Officer.
Dr. Leonard earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned an M.S. and B.S. in Computer Science from Jackson State University, where she also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science.