Graham Appointed to Navy Science and Technology Board

science and technology

Maryland Engineering’s dean will advance national security by providing insight on the science and technology needs of the Department of the Navy.

Samuel Graham, Jr., dean of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) A. James Clark School of Engineering, has been appointed to the Department of the Navy Science and Technology Board (DoN S&T Board). Graham’s appointment was announced officially on Monday, September 11. Graham currently serves on three other federal advisory committees, including as chair of the Department of Commerce Emerging Technology Technical Advising Committee, and as a member of both the National Science Foundation Engineering Directorate Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee for Nuclear Security for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to help address needs that are critical to our national security,” Graham said. “I look forward to working with the board’s membership and having an impact on the future S&T of the Navy.”

The DoN S&T Board is a discretionary federal advisory board charged with providing independent advice and recommendations that are important to the future of the Navy. It makes recommendations concerning the DoN’s scientific, technical, and manufacturing functions. The Board will ensure the identification of new technologies and applications of technology will strengthen national security.

Graham became dean of the Clark School in October 2021 and holds an appointment as Nariman Farvardin professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research centers on the development of electronics made from wide bandgap semiconductors for a range of applications in communications, power electronics, and neuromorphic computing.

Prior to joining UMD, Graham was Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. Chair of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also served as a member of the Defense Science Study Group and the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.

In January 2023, Graham was chosen as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was previously chosen as a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical (AMSE) Engineers. In August 2022, ASME selected Graham for the Allan Kraus Thermal Management Medal for “expertise in the thermal engineering of wide bandgap semiconductor devices and interfaces, including heterogeneous integration methods for thermal management.”

Published September 12, 2023