Valerie M. Browning

Dr. Valerie M. Browning is Vice President for Research and Technology within the Lockheed Martin Corporate Technology Office. In this role, she executes transformational R&D projects working with all business areas, partners in academia, and government S&T organizations. She champions technology collaborations with universities as well as customer R&D and commercial company joint technology development.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Browning served as the Acting Director of Defense Research & Engineering for Research & Technology where she provided leadership and coordination across DoD’s S&T enterprise efforts to rapidly develop, mature and protect key technologies and ensure U.S. warfighter dominance. Prior to this role she served as the Director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office where she was responsible for the management and execution of a broad portfolio of high-risk, high payoff research initiatives focused on game-changing technologies for U.S. national security.

Dr. Browning has also worked as an independent consultant providing subject matter expertise and strategic planning support to the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and other government clients in the areas of advanced materials and alternative energy. She also served as Chief Technology Officer for HELM System Solutions, Inc., a woman-owned small research and development business. Early in her career, Valerie served as a program manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office where she initiated and managed a diverse R&D portfolio in areas that included metamaterials, bio-magnetics, unmanned underwater vehicle energy storage, portable power, thermoelectric materials and others. She also worked as a research physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory where her primary areas of research included thermoelectric materials, superconductors, magnetics, and magnetic oxide materials. Dr. Browning earned a doctorate in physics from The Catholic University of America, a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Virginia Tech.