VANDERBILT University announced yesterday it has created within its School of Engineering the Vanderbilt Institute for Innovations Beyond Earth (VIIBE), which has now acquired and integrated VU's 23-year-old Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE).
Effective today, VIIBE is led by Founding Director Christopher J. Scolese PhD, who after nearly seven years' service resigned in July as director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to an NRO press release. Wikipedia profile.
Scolese is now also Distinguished Research Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Scolese was confirmed as DNRO in June 2019, and thus served during both Trump and Biden Administrations. Among other highlights, he served as director of Goddard Space Flight Center during both Trump and Obama Administrations. His successor at NRO, Roger Mason PhD, was confirmed as NRO director a few weeks ago. Related.
Vanderbilt yesterday announced in part: "VIIBE will foster advanced, interdisciplinary research related to near-Earth and space technologies, bringing together Vanderbilt expertise in aeronautical engineering, mechatronics, autonomous systems, energy management and biomedical adaptation."
Chancellor Daniel Diermeier PhD was quoted as saying, “The technologies that will define the next era of scientific discovery, economic competitiveness and national security increasingly extend beyond Earth’s atmosphere,” said Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. “Chris Scolese’s leadership at the highest levels of government and space exploration will help Vanderbilt build a distinctive center for innovation that creates an environment where world-class researchers can address some of society’s most consequential challenges.”
Scolese, 70, will hold a distinguished faculty appointment in Vanderbilt’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, within the School of Engineering.
Engineering Dean Krishnendu 'Krish' Roy PhD was yesterday quoted as saying of Scolese, "His perspective is tremendously valuable to our faculty and students—from conducting fundamental research to orchestrating complex operational missions. He is an engineer at heart with deep technical expertise paired with an unparalleled experience in policy, national security and governance. He will deepen collaborations across Vanderbilt while strengthening partnerships with government and industry, further elevating the university’s leadership in near-Earth and space technologies."
Dean Roy today told VNC that while the unification of VIIBE and ISDE is complete, matters including, e.g., finalizing the online presence of the integrated units remains in-process.
Asked about funding for the integrated VIIBE platform, Roy said only that "research institutes are typically funded by grants and contracts, internal allocations, and sometime philanthropy."
VNC research indicates VU's ISDE has since January been led by Interim Director Brian Wierawski PhD.
ISDE's center apparently remains in a limited-access facility located on Music Row, a short walk from the Vanderbilt campus.
ISDE's work has also been described as aligned with the university's Radiation Effects and Reliability (RER) research, with the aggregate work of the two units described in previous years as representing "the largest university-based program in the world specializing in radiation effects in electronics."
Although the VU release regarding Scolese's appointment makes no reference to the work of The Vanderbilt Institute of National Security and-or the Institute of Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), VNC research suggests collaboration along such vectors is likely, if not inevitable.
In any event, given the persistent debate and occasional discord regarding the proper places in U.s. government for U.S. Space and Defense resources, the Scolese appointment and VU's evolving internal space-defense-cyber-computing ecosystem seem likely to bring to mind among sidewalk observers Gretzky's admonition about 'playing to where the puck is going to be'. VNC
.last edited 1624 1 Sept. 2026
