MOU amendment expands partnership with Cranfield

On Oct. 27, 2022, representatives from Purdue University and Cranfield University met to sign an MOU amendment that expands their existing partnership to advance education and research in the defense space.

 

Representatives from Purdue and Cranfield hold up signed MOU amendment

Representatives from Purdue (Theresa Mayer, George Chiu, Stephen Beaudoin, Heidi Arola and Katherine Yater-Henke) meet with representatives from Cranfield (Karen Holford, Simon Pollard, John Economou, Lynn Lanka and Ron Constanje) to sign an amendment that will expand their current educational partnership.

In 2019, Purdue and Cranfield launched the Dual Masters Degree program in Defense Engineering and Technology (MSDET), which provides a unique opportunity for military personnel and civilians in the scientific, engineering and technology communities affiliated with the Department of Defense to study for graduate degrees in defense engineering.

The MSDET program draws on Purdue’s internationally recognized strengths in defense across campus, as well as from Cranfield’s leadership in defense and security science, engineering and technology to deliver a comprehensive program of defense-related coursework. Course cover topics such as Big Data Analytics, Science & Engineering of Energetic Materials, Military Vehicle Propulsion and Expeditionary Warfare Systems.

Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships at Purdue, and Simon Pollard, pro-vice-chancellor international at Cranfield University, sign the MOU amendment to expand the defense education and research partnership between Purdue and Cranfield

Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships at Purdue, and Simon Pollard, pro-vice-chancellor international at Cranfield University, sign the MOU amendment to expand the defense education and research partnership between Purdue and Cranfield

The new amendment expands the purview of the agreement beyond education to include research partnerships in areas such as sustainable aviation, defense technology and engineering (to include energetics, hypersonics and secure microelectronics), industrial sustainability and sustainable materials and diversity and inclusion for leadership development.

Stephen Beaudoin—professor of chemical engineering, director of the Purdue Energetics Research Center (PERC) and academic director of the MSDET program at Purdue—looks forward to the continued and expanded partnership with Cranfield.

“Cranfield is one of the leading universities in Europe with a focus in defense research,” said Beaudoin. “This expanded partnership will enable both universities to take advantage of advanced facilities, personnel and intellectual capital. It also extends the breadth and depth of the work that PERC does and sets us up for recognition as internationally prominent partner in the defense space.”

The MSDET program is open to all military and civilian employees affiliated with the Department of Defense. All instruction is delivered in-person at Purdue@WestGate.