Dr. Joel R. Carney

Joel Carney is the assistant administrator for OSI, leading the NASA’s Environmental Management Division (EMD), Logistics Management Division (LMD), Facilities and Real Estate Division (FRED), and the Space Environments Testing Management Office (SETMO). This team is comprised of 4000 employees across the nation, setting the foundation for NASA’s mission success. In this role, Dr. Carney focuses on NASA’s infrastructure challenges, working with Mission Directorates and NASA Centers to ensure mission-critical assets are safe, ready and reliable. He also leads NASA’s posture on key administration priorities, like climate change, environmental sustainment and engagement with tribal nations. Under Carney’s leadership, OSI is transforming to become more efficient and effective by incorporating innovative technologies, new and improved processes and developing a comprehensive asset strategy through the Agency Master Plan (AMP). Carney manages over 5,000 facilities and assets in NASA’s portfolio and looks for opportunities to consolidate and revitalize NASA’s infrastructure to meet its evolving technical requirements.

Experience

Dr. Carney joined NASA in February 2020 when he was appointed the Deputy Associate Administrator for Mission Support Operations for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate (MSD). In his role, Dr. Carney led NASA’s mission support community in finding solutions to operational challenges critical to mission success. Under his leadership, the Operations Office coordinated activities and operations at the NASA Headquarters Building and presided over agency responses and documentation in audits, directives, and partnerships. Dr. Carney was also charged with the management of agency infrastructure risk, operational transformation, and the ongoing development of an Agency Master Plan, which prioritizes NASA facilities based on mission requirements. Dr. Carney ensures agility, strategy, and readiness in supporting NASA’s complex and evolving missions.

Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Carney was the Principal Technical Manager of the Research Development Test and Evaluation Department (Code R) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD).  He led a diverse group of 300 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff with the direction of providing both near and far term science and technology solutions to our Navy and Department of Defense. Code R is the Navy’s innovation leader in energetic materials research, development, test and evaluation. Technical projects ranged from basic and applied research to the lot acceptance and life cycle assessment of ordnance. The department is comprised of scientists and engineers who are world experts in detonation science, chemical synthesis, homemade explosive and improvised explosive device technology, optical science applications, ordnance dissection and machining, and non-destructive evaluation. Code R is also the Navy’s center for chemical, biological, and radiological defense (CBRD).

Dr. Carney began his career at NSWC IHD in 2002 as a research scientist, leading efforts to apply high-speed optical diagnostics to combustion and detonation events. He and his colleagues were able to develop new techniques, which allow the chemically-specific observation of these high energy events with nanosecond time-resolution. These efforts led to advances in our understanding of enhanced blast explosives, reactive materials, and combustion applications towards the defeat of weapons of mass destruction.

Education

Dr. Carney earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Albion College (Albion, MI) in 1995.  He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) in 2000 under the direction of Professor Timothy Zwier. He also worked as a post-doctoral fellow for Dr. Michael White in the Chemistry Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Department of Energy) in Long Island, NY, from 2000-2002. Dr. Carney resides in Southern Maryland with his wife and two children.