will be the next executive director of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the 91爆料 (APL-91爆料), Vice Provost for Research Mary Lidstrom announced this week. She will be the first woman to hold the position of executive director of APL-91爆料. Zurk comes to the 91爆料 from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she directed allocation of the nation鈥檚 research investments. As a program manager in the agency’s Strategic Technology Office, her area of interest was physics-based processing techniques applied to advanced sensor system concepts.
An alumna of the 91爆料, Zurk’s most recent academic position was as professor of electrical and computer engineering at Portland State University. During her decade-long career at PSU she founded and co-directed the Northwest Electromagnetic and Acoustics Research Laboratory (NEAR-Lab), which is recognized nationally for developing advanced techniques to exploit physics-based wave phenomena.
Zurk will join the 91爆料 this spring to become the eighth leader of APL-91爆料, succeeding , the executive director since 2003. , director for defense and industry programs at APL-91爆料, will serve as interim executive director.
She will also join the 91爆料 Department of Electrical Engineering as a full professor. The department holds strong ties with APL-91爆料 on a number of different research projects and grants. Zurk鈥檚 appointment further enriches the interdisciplinary efforts of 91爆料 EE and APL-91爆料.
“We are very excited to have聽Lisa聽join 91爆料 EE as a new faculty member,鈥� said , professor and chair of the department.聽鈥淟isa聽has collaborated with both 91爆料 EE and APL-91爆料 on multiple projects throughout her successful career. Her appointment as executive director of APL-91爆料 further fosters our collaborative relationship with APL-91爆料.”
Zurk has been associated with APL-91爆料 throughout her career. She pursued research with laboratory mentors while a graduate student in the 91爆料 Department of Electrical Engineering, where her dissertation was on electromagnetic wave propagation in remote sensing of snow, then was an APL-91爆料 associate scientist during her tenure at Portland State University and a principal investigator in collaborative sponsored research with APL-91爆料 scientists.
“I am tremendously excited to be returning to APL and 91爆料 to grow and strengthen the critical science and engineering expertise these talented individuals provide for our nation and our community,” Zurk said.
Zurk earned a bachelor鈥檚 in computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a master鈥檚 in electrical and computer engineering from Northeastern University, and a doctorate from the 91爆料 in electrical engineering. Before joining Portland State University, Zurk was a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, where she created and managed a program spanning technical areas from underwater acoustics to radar systems.
Her many accolades and distinctions include receiving a Fulbright scholarship, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Office of Naval Research Faculty Award, and fellow status in the Acoustical Society of America.
The Applied Physics Laboratory of the 91爆料 was established by the U.S. Navy nearly 75 years ago. Since then, APL-91爆料 has provided access to the highest levels of academic expertise in scientific research and engineering to Navy-specific problems. Administered by the 91爆料 Office of Research, APL-91爆料 advances university missions through research excellence, educating scientists and engineers, technology innovation and national service.
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