Presentation Title: DARPA 101
Talk: Discuss the structure of DARPA, the strategies for talking to a DARPA program manager, and how to present your ideas so that you can be heard.
Abstract: Dr. Susan Swithenbank is a program manager in the Defense Science Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). She will discuss the structure of DARPA, different types of programs that DARPA has, and the ways of working with DARPA. She will also discuss strategies for talking to a DARPA program manager and how to present your ideas so that you can be heard.
Bio: Dr. Susan Swithenbank joined DARPA as a program manager in the Defense Sciences Office in November 2022. She is interested in developing technologies in propulsion, remote sensing, and fundamentals of fluids and fluid-structure interactions. Swithenbank joins DARPA from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), where she was the manager of the Propulsor Branch. She focused her research on the hydrodynamics of propulsion and maneuvering for submarines, surface ships, and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) while working for the U.S. Navy. Prior to working at NSWCCD, she was an associate professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Swithenbank holds a doctorate in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.