Dan Patt

Dan Patt is a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. His experience is at the intersection of technology, business, and national security strategy. His work at Hudson focuses on the role of information and innovation in national security.

Dr. Patt supports strategy at the artificial intelligence company STR and supports Thomas H. Lee Partners’ automation and technology investment practice. He has more than 15 years of experience operationalizing emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, networked information systems, robotics, supply chain automation, and enterprise information technology. He holds advisory board roles at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Andrew W. Marshall Foundation.

Previously, Dr. Patt co-founded and was CEO of Vecna Robotics, a commercial venture-backed warehouse robotics and workflow orchestration company. Dr. Patt also served as deputy director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office (STO), managing more than $400 million in annual technology investments in robust distributed systems architectures in a technology portfolio including battle management, command and control; communications and networking; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and electronic warfare. At DARPA he launched the Mosaic Warfare initiative. In 2017, Dr. Patt supported the deputy secretary of defense in leading an effort to define a new modernization initiative for the Department of Defense as part of the 2018 National Defense Strategy effort.

Dr. Patt previously held technical and leadership positions in the automotive and aerospace industries, focusing on emerging technology, including automation and human-machine integration. He was a MassTechnology Council CEO of the year honoree for emerging technology companies, is a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Honoree, and is the recipient of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Achievement Award in recognition of his work developing and fielding advanced situational awareness software and networking tools in support of combat operations.

Dr. Patt received his BA, MS, and PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.