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Eric Paterson

Executive Director

Eric Paterson

Executive Director, National Security Institute

Eric Paterson is the executive director of the National Security Institute.

Paterson has nearly 30 years of experience at Harris Corporation, the University of Iowa, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, including many years as a research faculty. While at Penn State, he held a dual-title appointment as chief scientist of computational mechanics at the Applied Research Laboratory, a Navy university-affiliated research center, and professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering. Throughout his career, his research has engaged the broader defense and intelligence communities.

His research interests are in the broad area of fluid dynamics, heat transfer, computational physics, and high-performance computing. He is most enthusiastic about applied research where our efforts have direct impact on the design, analysis, and operation of real-world systems.

Paterson holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa, a M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa.