Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick biography: 13 things about physicist born in Columbus, Georgia

Dr. Sean Michael Kirkpatrick is an American laser and materials physicist born in Columbus, Georgia, United States to an Army family. He is the first director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense‘s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which was formed on July 20, 2022.

Kirkpatrick and his wife Amy Kirkpatrick have a daughter named Maya Kirkpatrick. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 1991, he earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
2. In 1995, he earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Georgia. Shortly after, she joined the university as an adjunct professor in nonlinear and non-equilibrium physics.
3. In 1996, he was offered a National Research Council Fellowship at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C., USA.
4. In 1997, he joined the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, USA.
5. In 2003, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, USA.
6. From November 2010 to December 2012, he was the chief architect of the Space and Intelligence Office of the U.S. Department of Defense at The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.
7. From December 2012 to June 2016, he was a defense intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense at the Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling in Washington, D.C.
8. From June 2016 to June 2017, he was the deputy director of intelligence at the U.S. Strategic Command of the U.S. Department of Defense in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
9. From June 2017 to April 2018, he was the director of the U.S. National Security Council in The White House in Washington, D.C.
10. From April 2018 to August 2018, he was a visiting professor at the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
11. From August 2018 to October 2020, he was a board member at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. From August 2018 to September 2019, he was the intelligence community lead at the Air Force Space Command in Washington, D.C.
12. From September 2019 to December 2021, he was the deputy director of intelligence at the U.S. Space Command of the U.S. Department of Defense in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
13. From December 2021 to July 2022, he was the chief scientist at the Missile and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, Alabama, USA.