Thomas Beutner, BSAAE ’87, Deputy Director, Tactical Technology Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Department of Defense

Thomas Beutner believes a good education is the best preparation for life. “Some of the ideas I became interested in at Purdue later became career opportunities,” he says. As a co-op student, he had the opportunity to work on advanced design efforts in industry while still an undergrad. “Nothing could have been more compelling.”

Today, Beutner is deputy director of the Tactical Technology Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to that, he served as department head of Air Warfare and Weapons in the Offices of Naval Research, where he was responsible for the Navy’s science and technology investments in aircraft and air and in surface weapons technology programs. His contributions and impacts in advanced technology demonstrations and engineering simulation development have improved the affordability and reliability of aircraft and weapons systems.

He attributes much of his success to his engineering degree: “Purdue taught me how to think about problems and how to deconstruct them. Through many different projects and research efforts, those fundamentals have been a bedrock that anchors all other knowledge.”