Dr. Lance A. Davis is Senior Advisor at the National Academy of Engineering. He previously served as Executive Officer. Under Congressional charter, the Academy provides advice to the Federal government, when requested, on matters of science and technology. As Executive Officer, Dr. Davis was the chief operating officer of the Academy, responsible for the program, financial and membership operations of the Academy, reporting to the President.

Prior to joining the Academy, Dr. Davis served as Deputy Director, Defense Research and Engineering (Laboratory Management and Technology Transition) at the Pentagon from 1994 to 1999. In this capacity, he exercised oversight responsibility for the $11B DOD laboratory system and the dual use and technology transfer activities of the DOD. He chaired the Lab Consolidation Working Group charged with restructuring the DOD lab system and the Affordability Task Force charged with balancing the cost/performance equation in Defense Science and Technology. Other major activities included the Quadrennial Defense Review, Lab Quality Improvement Program, Lab Diversification Program, Small Business Innovation Research, Industry IR&D, Manufacturing Science and Technology, and the Defense Technical Information Center.

Dr. Davis spent the majority of his career in industry at Allied-Signal Inc. He joined the then Allied Chemical as a Research Scientist in 1968 and moved through a succession of R&D management positions leading to appointment as Vice President of Corporate Research and Development in 1984. He continued in this capacity until joining the Defense Department in 1994. As VP, R&D, he was responsible for a corporate staff of up to 450 with an annual expense budget in current dollars of about $100MM and a capital budget of $15MM, engaged in research and new product development related to metals, ceramics, crystal growth, electro-optics, device fabrication, thin film deposition, polymer chemistry, engineered plastics, fibers and films, composites and biotechnology.

Dr. Davis is an experienced leader in execution and management of complex research, engineering, process and product development for materials, components and systems; in technology policy development and execution on the national level; and in team building, total quality management/business process reengineering and technology transition.

Dr. Davis graduated Summa cum Laude from Lafayette College in 1961 with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering. He received a Masters of Engineering in 1963 and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science from Yale University in 1966. He spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale before joining Allied. Dr. Davis is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1992 and received the Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award from Multi-Association Industry Affordability Task Force, in December 1999.