Tactical Technology Office
Lt. Col. Patrick “Dice” Highland, Ph.D., U.S. Air Force, joined DARPA in June 2026 as a program manager in the Tactical Technology Office. His areas of focus include measuring and classifying human trust in AI systems, human-machine teaming, aerospace engineering, air combat autonomy, and optimization of flight systems.
Highland is a commander and experimental test pilot with more than 3,300 flight hours (289 combat) across over 50 different aircraft types.
Immediately prior to coming to DARPA, Highland was a Chief of Staff of the Air Force Blue Horizons Fellow at the Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology.
Education
- Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa
- M.S., Airpower Strategy and Technology Integration, Air War College
- M.S., Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa
- M.S., Flight Test Engineering, United States Air Force Test Pilot School
- M.Eng., Engineering, University of Nebraska—Lincoln
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland