Joseph Jewell
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology
Joseph S. Jewell received an undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology, and an M.S. from both the University of Michigan and the University of Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.
Jewell has devoted his career to defense research and development, particularly in aerospace engineering and hypersonics. He served as a research scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He later became the John Bogdanoff Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. He is the author of over 150 published journal articles and conference papers on hypersonics and aerospace engineering.
Dr. Jewell presently serves as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. He and his wife Katie have three sons.
In the News…
The Pentagon issued a directive this week to 30 academic institutions, giving them until the end of August to comprehensively review and report back on their connections to “foreign entities of concern.” If they do not respond, they could lose eligibility for federal research funding.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology Dr. Joseph Jewell said, “Universities are critical partners in executing a wide range of Department of War research programs, and the Department must therefore ensure that our research investments are well protected from foreign exploitation.”
This audit was authorized by Congress under the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. It is part of the larger effort to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing taxpayer-funded Defense Department research and protect intellectual property.
