Ellen M. Robinson is a Program Manager/Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over ten years as a Program Manager the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) enterprise. In the AFOSR, she directs STEM workforce development initiatives and basic research and technology funding programs for early career faculty. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). These programs award funding to innovative and groundbreaking research and technology that align directly to DAF/DoD research. Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. Her other duties include Contracting Officer Representative for two service program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.

During her Air Force civilian career, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of DAF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the DAF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.

She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce in critical research technology areas and capacity building as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.