Rodney Miller appointed as special advisor for national security initiatives

Rodney Miller, former senior leader executive and chief scientist for Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, has been appointed as Purdue’s special advisor for national security initiatives.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Miller to the Purdue family,” says Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, vice president for Discovery Park. “He brings to the table a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of national security and the ability to support national defense opportunities that will benefit not only Discovery Park, but Purdue University as a whole.”

Miller, a longtime resident of Lafayette, began his career in 1990 as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. During his 24-year military career, retiring in 2014 at the rank of colonel, he held numerous leadership positions in the science and technology, space and nuclear acquisition and space operations communities at the squadron, group, center and headquarters Air Force levels.

“I am very excited to be back home in Lafayette and to be able to help Purdue expand its capabilities to protect our great country,” Miller says.

In his new position as the special advisor for national security initiatives within Discovery Park, Miller will work with Purdue faculty, staff and partners to increase the level of appreciation and understanding of the abilities of Purdue and the capability of the University to conduct sensitive national security-related research and development efforts.

"Dr. Miller's in-depth knowledge of national security challenges will help Purdue better collaborate with our NSWC Crane colleagues as well as the broader national security enterprise,” says Chad Pittman, vice president of the Purdue Research Foundation. NSWC Crane is the Naval Surface Warfare Center in southern Indiana, where Purdue has numerous collaborations.

The goal is to expand Purdue’s national security impact to the U.S. government and its allies. Miller’s expertise will allow him to provide expert advice and leadership mentoring to faculty, students and staff, particularly in the areas of key national security objectives.

“We look forward to working closely with Rod to expand the University’s leadership focus and support to the national security community to solve some of the hardest challenges facing our nation,” says Dan DeLaurentis, director of the Institute for Global Security and Defense Initiatives and professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

About Discovery Park

Discovery Park is a place where Purdue researchers move beyond traditional boundaries, collaborating across disciplines and with policymakers and business leaders to create solutions for a better world. Grand challenges of global health, global conflict and security, and those that lie at the nexus of sustainable energy, world food supply, water and the environment, are the focus of researchers in Discovery Park. The translation of discovery to impact is integrated into the fabric of Discovery Park through entrepreneurship programs and partnerships.

Writer:  Elizabeth Harwood, eharwood@purdue.edu