Dr. Susanne Wirwille

Head of the Strategy and Policy Section - NATO Science and Technology Organization

Biography

Dr. Wirwille is currently the Head of the Strategy and Policy Section in the NATO Science and Technology Organization. Her responsibilities include leadership in developing and managing NATO science and technology (S&T) strategic guidance and plans, strategic S&T initiatives, strategic assessments, and NATO’s S&T policies and directives.

Prior to joining NATO in November 2013, Dr. Wirwille was the Director of Science and Technology at the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). In this position, she led and directed the Commands’ S&T endeavors, oversaw more than 120 personnel and advised senior military leadership. Before assuming her position at NORAD-USNORTHCOM in July 2010, Dr. Wirwille served as the Scientific Analyst & Advisor to the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa, during which she was responsible for the development and analysis of cutting-edge capabilities. Prior to this position, she was the Science Advisor and Director, Maritime Domain Awareness at United States Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), Joint Innovation and Experimentation Directorate, leading experiments and innovation projects to advance inter-agency and international interoperability.

Dr. Wirwille’s tour at JFCOM was preceded by a deployment with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group during which she served as the Scientific Analyst to the Commander, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The events of September 11, 2001 served as the impetus for Dr. Wirwille to dramatically change her career path from academia and industry to directly serve the military. She subsequently joined the Center for Naval Analyses.

From 1988 to 2002, Dr. Wirwille conducted R&D of superconducting devices for space and undersea applications on TRW’s Space and Technology Division technical staff. She was also an instructor in the Department of Physics at the University of Southern California, where she taught courses and supervised research.

Dr. Wirwille earned her doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor’s of Science in both Physics and Chemistry from Loyola Marymount University.