LTC Joseph K. Hitt joined DARPA in January 2011 after serving as the Director of the Aerospace and Thermodynamics Group and the Mechanical Engineering Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  He specializes in soldier centric technologies that provide the dismounted soldier enhanced performance.  Specific interests include wearable robotics, man-machine teaming, bio-inspired robotics, and regenerative kinetics.    

LTC Hitt’s experience includes two years as a commander of a 120-man Airborne Engineer Company at Fort Bragg, three years as Assistant Project Manager of Close Combat Systems at Picatinny Arsenal, managing multiple munitions programs. LTC Hitt was by-name recruited in 2004 to serve at HQ Department of the Army G3 Rapid Equipping Force, as the Science Officer for Army counter-IED and counter-mortar requirements.  

LTC Hitt holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from University of Southern California, and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University.