Tactical Technology Office
Retired Lt. Col. Shawn Naigle, Ph.D., U.S., Army, joined DARPA in September 2026 as a program manager in the Tactical Technology Office. His research interests include increasing survivability and sustained lethality of ground forces through tactical autonomy, contested logistics, and next-generation low-SWAP systems for dismounted operations.
Prior to DARPA, Naigle recently served as the deputy associate director at the U.S. Army Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation & Missile Center. In this role, he has led multidisciplinary research and development efforts to address complex vertical lift system technology challenges.
His research has included aerodynamic flow control and rotorcraft technologies, with publications examining vortex dynamics, discrete-jet flow control, and the aerodynamic behavior of advanced configurations. He has also contributed to Army research addressing autonomous operations in unknown and dynamic battlespaces, advanced aeromechanical modeling and simulation, and air-vehicle design optimization.
Education
- Ph.D., Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology
- M.S., Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Ohio State University
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautical Systems), U.S. Military Academy