2021年4月27日，美国总统拜登提名华裔女工程师徐若冰(Heidi Shyu)为美国国防部负责研究与工程的副部长。7月23日经参议院表决通过，徐若冰担任美国国防部国防研究与工程次长。

徐若冰1953年9月28日出生在台湾台北，她出身空军世家，她的已故祖父是台湾前空军副总司令徐康良中将。

1963年10岁时移民美国。她完成小学、中学教育后，进入大学读书。

徐若冰获得加拿大纽布朗斯维克大学数学学士，2017年又获该校荣誉博士学位、多伦多大学数学硕士、美国加州大学洛杉矶分校电子工程硕士和该校的工程师学位。

她开始在休斯飞机公司任工程师，接着在格罗曼公司和利顿工业公司工作。徐若冰曾长期在美国军火巨头、国防合约商雷神公司(Raytheon)任职，先后担任以下职务: 电磁系统实验室主任；联合攻击战斗机(Joint Strike Fighter, JSF)天线技术总监；联合攻击战斗机综合雷达/电子战传感器总监；联合攻击战斗机高级总监；无人驾驶战斗车辆高级总监；无人操纵和侦察系统副总裁；航天和航空系统副总裁兼技术主任；技术和研究公司副总裁；最后担任雷神公司空间和机载战略副总裁。

2000年至2010年，徐若冰是美国空军科学咨询委员会成员；2003年至2005年，任该委员会副主席；2005年至2008年任主席。

奥巴马总统曾提名她为陆军负责采购、后勤和技术的助理部长，后经参议院确认，于2011年6月4日就职。她一直在这个岗位上，直到2016年1月30日奥巴马政府结束。

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U.S. Department of Defense

HEIDI SHYU
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E))

Ms. Heidi Shyu is the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). In this role, she serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Department of Defense (DoD), mandated with ensuring the technological superiority of the U.S. military, and is responsible for the research, development, and prototyping activities across the DoD enterprise. She also oversees the activities of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the DoD Laboratory and Engineering Center enterprise, and the Under Secretariat staff focused on developing advanced technology and capability for the U.S. military.

Previously, she served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA (ALT)), from September 2012 to January 2016. Prior to this, she was Acting ASA (ALT) beginning in June 2011 and appointed the Principal Deputy in November 2010. As the ASA (ALT), she served as the Army Acquisition Executive, the Senior Procurement Executive, the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Army, and the Army’s Senior Research and Development official. She had principal responsibility for all Department of the Army matters related to logistics. Ms. Shyu also led the execution of the Army’s acquisition function and the acquisition management system. Her responsibilities included providing oversight for the life cycle management and sustainment of Army weapons systems and equipment from research and development through test and evaluation, acquisition, logistics, fielding, and disposition.

Prior to her government service, Ms. Shyu was the Vice President of Technology Strategy for Raytheon Company’s Space and Airborne Systems.

Ms. Shyu holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Brunswick in Canada, a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on System Sciences along with the Engineer’s Degree from UCLA. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of New Brunswick. She is also a graduate of the UCLA Executive Management Course Program.

A member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2000 to 2010, she served as the Vice Chair from 2003 to 2005 and Chair from 2005 to 2008. Ms. Shyu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Honorary Fellow.

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About Heidi Shyu

Heidi Shyu currently serves as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense. She assumed this position in July 2021, bringing decades of C-level leadership experience and expertise in business management, strategic planning, portfolio management, and technology creation.

Ms. Shyu’s experience makes her a compelling executive, thanks to her extensive knowledge of the technology initiatives in the defense sector.

Heidi Shyu: Educational background

As a leading defense technology executive in the defense sector, Shyu boasts an impressive academic record from the most prestigious universities across North America. Her list of educational accomplishments includes:
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the University of New Brunswick
Master of Science in Mathematics at the University of Toronto
Electrical Engineering degree for Systems Science and Theory at the University of California–Los Angeles
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering for Systems Science and Theory at the University of California–Los Angeles
Doctor of Science at the University of New Brunswick

Through her dedicated work and industry contributions, Shyu was given an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of New Brunswick. She was also able to complete the UCLA Executive Management Course Program.

Duties and responsibilities as the USD (R&E)

As the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Heidi Shyu assumes the mandate of the Chief Technology Officer at the DoD. In this capacity, she ensures the technological superiority of the U.S. military and oversees the research, development, and prototyping activities of the DoD agencies, such as:
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
DoD Laboratory and Engineering Center
Under Secretariat staff for advanced technology and capability

Additionally, Shyu serves as the primary advisor of the Department of Defense for all interests concerning research and engineering (R&E), technology development, developmental prototyping, and administration of testing ranges and activities.

Previous work experiences

Ms. Heidi Shyu has a comprehensive career in defense, spanning more than two decades in the public and private sectors. Throughout her tenure, she held increasing positions for various agencies under the Defense Department and defense-focused contracting organizations.

Prior to her current role as the USD(R&E), she held the following positions:
Director at VK Integrated Systems (2018 – 2021)
President and Chief Executive Officer at Heidi Shyu Inc. (2016 – 2021)
Director at Unified Business Technologies, Inc. (2016)
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ALT) at the U.S. Department of the Army (2012 – 2016)
Acting Assistant Secretary of the ATL at the U.S. Department of the Army (2011 – 2012)
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the ATL at the U.S. Department of the Army (2010 – 2011)
Vice President of Technology Strategy, Space & Airborne Systems at Raytheon (2009 – 2010)
Corporate Vice President of Technology & Research at Raytheon (2007 – 2009)
Vice President and Technical Director at Raytheon (2004 – 2007)
Vice President of Unmanned & Reconnaissance Systems at Raytheon (2002 – 2003)

Ms. Shyu also went above and beyond her job description, assuming the command as the Army Acquisition Executive, the Senior Procurement Executive, the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Army, and the Army’s Senior Research and Development official.

List of Affiliations

As an award-winning executive, having won the prestigious Wash100 Award three times, Ms. Shyu’s competencies have proven crucial to knowledge-sharing of technological advancements across the defense sector. Here’s a rundown of Shyu’s affiliations:
Member of the Board of Advisors at Levitate Acquisition Corp. (2021)
Board Member of Auterion Government Solutions (2020 – 2021)
Board of Advisors at Levitate Capital (2020 – 2021)
Chairman of the Board at Plasan North America, Inc. (2020 – 2021)
Member of the Board of Advisors at Catalyze Dallas (2020 – 2021)
Dean’s Executive Board at the University of California–Los Angeles (2017 – 2021)
Technical Advisory Group at Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (2016 – 2021)
Member of the Board of Trustees at The Aerospace Corporation (2016 – 2021)
Chairman of the Board at Roboteam North America (2017 – 2021)
Board Member at Concurrent Technologies Corporation (2018 – 2020)
Board Member at Carnegie Mellon University Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute (2017)
Advisory Board at Roboteam (2016 – 2017)
ICSB Board Member at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016 – 2017)
Member at the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (2000 – 2010)
Ex Officio at the Defense Science Board (2005 – 2008)

Currently, Ms. Shyu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Honorary Fellow.

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