UMD Alum Named Next Director of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
University of Maryland (UMD) aerospace engineering alum David Van Wie 80, M.S. '82, Ph.D. '86, has been named the next director of Johns Hopkins University’s (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Van Wie, currently head of APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector, will assume his new role on July 14. He succeeds Ralph Semmel, who has served as director since 2010 and will step down this summer. He joined APL in 1983 and has led numerous defense programs supporting national security, including efforts to strengthen homeland defense and protect U.S. and allied forces from air and missile threats. He previously oversaw APL’s precision strike programs, with research spanning hypersonic systems, electromagnetic spectrum dominance, and advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies. A respected researcher in aerospace engineering, Van Wie has authored numerous publications in hypersonic flight, plasma aerodynamics, high-temperature fluid dynamics, and airbreathing propulsion. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and serves on the Defense Science Board. In 2016, he was inducted into the University of Maryland Department of Aerospace Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Alumni and he is the inaugural recipient of the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Kevin C. Greenaugh Award (2024). In addition to his UMD degrees, Van Wie also holds a master’s in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins, and he is currently a research faculty member in mechanical engineering at JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering and is a recipient of the Air Force Award for Meritorious Civilian Service. Van Wie expressed enthusiasm for the role and the lab’s future. “The critical work undertaken by the phenomenal teams at APL has resulted in breakthroughs that have truly ensured our nation’s safety and scientific preeminence,” he said in a statement published by APL’s The Hub. “I am energized and excited to lead this amazing institution and its teams as we tackle some of the nation’s most complex challenges.” Van Wie will become the ninth director in the laboratory’s 83-year history.
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