Conrad J. Grant Heads Air Defense Systems Department at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Conrad J. Grant is the new head of the Air Defense Systems Department at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md.

Mr. Grant oversees the largest APL department, with more than 600 specialists tackling some of the military's most critical technical and complex systems engineering challenges in areas ranging from ballistic missile defense to advanced radar development and satellite-aided sensor network technology.

As department head Mr. Grant says his first priority is to continue developing the technical leaders needed for providing innovative and effective solutions to air and missile defense challenges facing our nation's military.

Mr. Grant succeeds Richard W. Constantine, who had served as head of the Air Defense Systems Department since 1996. During his 27-year career at APL, Mr. Grant served as business area executive for APL's air and missile defense programs, and as programs manager for the Air Defense Systems Department. He served as the Lab's Cooperative Engagement Capability program manager and as lead engineer for several large prototyping efforts for Aegis Weapon System combat displays and command and control.

Mr. Grant is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the U.S. Naval Institute, the Navy League of the United States, and the Association of Naval Engineers. He holds master's degrees in applied physics and in computer science, and a bachelor's degree in physics.

He is a resident of Mount Airy, Md.