Charles Clancy, Ph.D.

Charles Clancy, a senior vice president at MITRE, heads MITRE Labs. More than 4,000 MITRE Labs scientists, technologists, and engineers deliver deeply technical capabilities and solutions to the six federally funded R&D centers we operate on behalf of the U.S. government. In addition, Clancy serves as MITRE’s chief technology officer, harnessing the company’s independent R&D program to advance the missions of MITRE sponsors and the nation. 

Before joining MITRE in 2019 as vice president for intelligence programs, Clancy served as the Bradley Distinguished Professor of Cybersecurity in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and executive director of the Hume Center for National Security and Technology. There, he led Virginia Tech’s research and experiential learning programs in defense and intelligence. He started his career at the National Security Agency, filling a variety of research and engineering roles, with a focus on wireless communications.

He was named a Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his work in information security and digital communications and elected a member of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He has co-authored more than 250 academic publications and patents, as well as six books. He co-founded five venture-backed defense-tech startup companies that apply commercial innovation to the intersection of telecommunications and national security.

Clancy sits on the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International (AFCEA) Board of Directors’ Executive Committee, the AFCEA Intelligence Committee, the Systems Engineering Research Center Advisory Board, the Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy Advisory Board, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions Next G Alliance, and the Virginia Tech National Security Institute Advisory Board.

Clancy holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland, College Park.