Karen Thole is making her way back to Happy Valley, this time as the inaugural director of Penn State’s National Security Institute. She currently serves as the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at Michigan. Thole previously served as a professor of mechanical engineering, department head of mechanical engineering, and director of the Engineering Ambassador Network at Penn State.

The university’s new National Security Institute will work alongside government agencies and industry partners to advance defense and national security research beyond Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and to enhance adjacent research to address security challenges globally. ARL is a Department of Defense-designated University Affiliate Research Center that supports the U.S. Armed Forces and other government agencies.

The National Security Institute is the seventh institute reporting to the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. Thole’s responsibilities will include furthering Penn State’s national security research interests, strengthening collaboration with ARL, and partnering with faculty and staff to identify the research needed to plan for future solutions.

“I am honored to be selected as the inaugural director of Penn State’s new National Security Institute,” Thole said in a press release on Thursday. “The University has a strong background in materials science and manufacturing, quantum science, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and aerospace engineering — all areas identified as national research priorities. I look forward to working with Dr. Read and my colleagues across Penn State to enhance the University’s expertise in these critical research spaces to meet our nation’s needs.”

Thole is recognized both nationally and internationally for her contributions to the engineering field. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas, Austin.