{"656212":{"#nid":"656212","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Will Roper Joins Nunn School as Distinguished Professor of the Practice","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWill Roper, a two-time Georgia Tech alumnus and former assistant secretary of the Air Force and Space Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics, has joined the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs as a distinguished professor of the practice.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/39840425-006b-530c-904f-029ec2e1dd96\u0022 title=\u0022mailto:https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/39840425-006b-530c-904f-029ec2e1dd96\u0022\u003ERoper\u003C\/a\u003E earned bachelor\u0026rsquo;s and master\u0026rsquo;s degree in physics from Georgia Tech and a doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University, where he studied string theory as a Rhodes Scholar. In his Nunn School post, he will focus on mentoring students and writing thought leadership pieces on issues related to international security and technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m incredibly excited to return to my alma mater,\u0026rdquo; said Roper. \u0026ldquo;I focused on the intersection of technology and national security while serving in the Pentagon; Georgia Tech and the Nunn School provide an exciting way to continue this.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoper has spent more than 16 years helping develop cutting-edge military technology for the United States \u0026mdash; from hypersonic weapons to the first artificial intelligence co-pilot. Most recently, he focused on bridging the gap between venture capital and defense procurement. While working as the Air Force\u0026#39;s and Space Force\u0026#39;s top weapons buyer, he forged closer ties with Silicon Valley, placing over 2,300 venture-backed companies on defense contracts. He also championed digital transformation technology to speed up innovation, crediting such technology with helping produce and fly the first \u0026ldquo;6th-generation fighter\u0026quot; flight demonstrator years ahead of schedule.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow in the private sector, Roper serves as board member and advisor to numerous startups, investment funds, and the U.K. Royal Air Force.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Will Roper is one of the finest minds at the intersection of technology and national security,\u0026rdquo; said Ash Carter, a former U.S. defense secretary. \u0026ldquo;While I was secretary of defense, he was my leading change agent for innovation and great-power competition. And as a fellow physicist, he shared my passion for accelerating emerging technology to our warfighters. I am delighted to see him join the national security faculty at Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoper is excited to join the Nunn School\u0026rsquo;s other\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/practice\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/practice\u0022\u003Edistinguished professors of the practice\u003C\/a\u003E, which include former Joint Staff, policy, and operations senior officials who represent a microcosm of how the Pentagon works. Roper\u0026rsquo;s technology and procurement background adds another component. He also will be supporting the Georgia Tech Research Institute\u0026nbsp;and Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents interested in speaking to Roper about technology and international security are invited to reach out to him at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wroper3@gatech.edu\u0022 title=\u0022mailto:wroper3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewroper3@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Students at Georgia Tech are uniquely positioned to be leaders in national security, because technology drives national and battlefield policies and strategies \u0026mdash; rarely the other way around,\u0026rdquo; Roper said. \u0026ldquo;I hope to share what the future may hold and why shaping it is such an exciting place to spend a career.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Sam Nunn School of International Affairs is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERoper is a two-time Georgia Tech graduate who has spent his career working in technology and international security.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Roper is a two-time Georgia Tech graduate who has spent his career working in technology and international security."}],"uid":"34946","created_gmt":"2022-03-10 14:27:30","changed_gmt":"2022-03-10 14:56:17","author":"gwyner3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-03-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2022-03-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"656211":{"id":"656211","type":"image","title":"Will Roper","body":null,"created":"1646922256","gmt_created":"2022-03-10 14:24:16","changed":"1646922256","gmt_changed":"2022-03-10 14:24:16","alt":"A headshot of will Roper outside with buildings in the background, set on top of a gold image background.","file":{"fid":"248758","name":"16 x 9 Aspect Ratio (3200 x 1800 px) (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%281%29_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%281%29_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":180813,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%281%29_0.jpg?itok=HysS3E-s"}}},"media_ids":["656211"],"groups":[{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"167256","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"179541","name":"Professor of the Practice"},{"id":"190143","name":"distinguished professor of the practice"},{"id":"190144","name":"faculty announcement"},{"id":"2478","name":"U.S. Air Force"},{"id":"190145","name":"U.S. Space Force"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gwyner3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGrace Wyner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESam Nunn School of International Affairs | School of Public Policy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}