Zazi Forum

Dr. Fernandez’ experience and knowledge encompasses a very broad range of research and management areas. He has worked with both large and small research groups and successful start up research companies. He, personally, founded and helped manage several successful research and development companies.

At present, he is a Distinguished Research Professor in Systems Engineering and Technology Management at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is also the Director of Institute Technology Initiatives, a position reporting directly to the President. In this capacity he serves as the chief technical advisor to the President in all matters having to do with Institute research initiatives, management of Institute intellectual property and commercialization of Institute technology.

Prior to this, he was Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the central R&D organization of the Department of Defense. Dr. Fernandez was appointed as Director of DARPA on May 10, 1998. Under Dr. Fernandez’ leadership, DARPA served as the Department of Defense’s premier change-leader, trailblazing paths in biological warfare defense, information security, precision strike and robotics. He instituted a multi-disciplinary research effort that promises revolutionary new capabilities by linking biology with information technology and the physical sciences. In addition, he won congressional approval for DARPA to use an innovative process to hire talented technical experts directly from industry that will serve as a model for other organizations.

Until his appointment as Director, DARPA, Dr. Fernandez held the position of President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for AETC Inc., a firm specializing in environmental surveillance, which he founded in 1994. Prior to this position, he was President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Areté Associates, a Los Angeles-based applied research firm that Dr. Fernandez founded in 1976. Areté Associates has a national reputation in the use of advanced sensors and signal processing for the detection and classification of concealed targets. From 1975 to 1976, he served as Vice President at Physical Dynamics Inc., and from 1972 to 1975, he worked as a Program Manager for R&D Associates. Before that, Dr Fernandez worked for the Aerospace Corporation and the Lockheed Corporation, specializing in re-entry physics problems associated with missile defense.

Dr. Fernandez was a member of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Executive Panel from 1983 until his appointment at DARPA. In this capacity, he provided advice to the CNO on a variety of issues. He was Director of the Green Foundation, a non-profit endowment for Earth Sciences from 1995 to 2000 and is listed in Who’s Who in Science. Dr. Fernandez is also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

In May 2000, Dr Fernandez was awarded the Renaissance Engineering and Science Award by Stevens Institute of Technology. In January 2001, Dr. Fernandez was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Secretary of Defense. Dr. Fernandez has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering Degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in May 2001.

Dr. Fernandez received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Applied Mechanics from Stevens Institute of Technology in New York, 1960-1961; and his Ph.D. in Aeronautics from California Institute of Technology in 1969.