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Biography
Grace Bochenek is the Director of the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training at the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining UCF, Dr. Bochenek held a presidential cabinet appointment as Acting U.S. Secretary of Energy and earlier had a career of motivating research, and development in national security and energy, the private sector, and as a member of the federal government Senior Executive Service.
Recognized for her ability to anticipate and inspire technological innovation, Director Bochenek is endlessly fascinated by the potential of next generation technology, and the next generation who will wield it in the workforce. Her current research focuses on applying digital twins and other modeling-and-simulation research for applications in defense, energy, microelectronics and semiconductor fabrication, smart cities, space and transportation.
Her past leadership roles included managing research and overseeing partnerships with universities as Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), serving as the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and leading research and development as the Director of the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. She was awarded the Presidential Rank Award as Meritorious Executive, a Silver Medal from the National Defense Industry Association, and Decorations for Exceptional Civilian Service from both Departments of Army and Energy.
