The University of California, Berkeley, has appointed Victoria Coleman, former chief scientist for the U.S. Air Force and former head of DARPA, to spearhead the university's activities at a proposed new research and innovation hub in Silicon Valley - the Berkeley Space Center.
Coleman, currently the head of aerospace manufacturer Airbus's Silicon Valley innovation center, takes the reins this month as Associate Provost for the center. She also has been appointed a UC Berkeley professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, where she was previously a visiting professor. Since 2016, she has been a senior advisor to CITRIS and the Banatao Institute in the College of Engineering and was an advisor to the engineering dean during the development of the college's new aerospace engineering program.
Announced in 2023, the Berkeley Space Center will be built on 36 acres leased from NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, in the heart of the Bay Area's tech industry. A joint public-private venture created by UC Berkeley and the developer SKS Partners, the center will house research space for companies interested in collaborating with university and NASA scientists and engineers to generate cutting-edge innovations in aviation and space exploration. By focusing on emerging technologies that enable operations in space, the research will provide myriad benefits to the nation and the state.
Coleman succeeds the center's founding associate provost, Alex Bayen, whose team spent nearly five years bringing partners together to launch the initiative with NASA and SKS Partners. Several research collaborations and executive education programs have already been established in advance of physical development of the center.
Coleman's 40 years of experience in government, industry and academia is a unique combination that will help bring the campus's vision for the center to fruition, said Mark Asta, interim dean of engineering and leader of the search committee.
Field Operations and HOK
"She has a history of building coalitions across academia, private industry and government agencies," said Asta, professor of materials science and engineering. "We're looking for the next director to expand those coalitions to advance the air and space center. The ability to bring people together towards a common vision is one of her strengths."
Asta noted that Coleman's job will work with faculty members to ensure that the center's tenants have interests that dovetail with those of campus researchers and students, including in the newly established aerospace engineering program in the College of Engineering.
"I'm very honored and excited," Coleman said. "I don't know of any other research hub that has all the aspects of the Berkeley Space Center: government involvement through NASA, industry engagement and academic research. It's a game-changer for how the UC Berkeley campus is present in and influences what goes on in Silicon Valley. With Berkeley there, in my view, you will see more than a step up in how the academics and R&D of the school impact the Valley and its growth."
A career of firsts
Coleman has had an unusually diverse career spanning academia, industry and government, all unified by a single mission: to make computing safer and more accessible for all. Her work has advanced high-integrity systems, particularly in avionics, and laid the groundwork for trusted microelectronics. Her journey - from breakthroughs in mobile computing and equitable digital access to leadership in trusted autonomy in avionics - embodies an enduring dedication to innovation that serves both technology and society. Through every role, she has championed innovation that empowers people, safeguards critical systems and shapes the future of computing and aerospace.
Courtesy of Airman Magazine, U.S. Air Force
"I see immense opportunity at the Berkeley Space Center to unite the campus community working on space and discovery with innovators pursuing advanced aviation and autonomous transportation," Coleman said. "Together, we can create a vibrant ecosystem where fundamental curiosity meets innovation in the national interest, ensuring that our work has impact from the lab bench to orbit and beyond."
Coleman played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. microelectronics policy through her contributions to the CHIPS for America Act and the establishment of the Microelectronics Commons. As Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, she led initiatives to accelerate the transition of research and development into manufacturing, laying the groundwork for the $2 billion Microelectronics Commons program - now housed within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering.
Her advocacy and technical leadership directly influenced the CHIPS Act's focus on revitalizing domestic semiconductor production and securing the supply chain for national defense. Under her leadership, the Air Force launched a $300 million initiative to advance mission autonomy in air and space systems and a $60 million University Affiliated Research Center led by Howard University in Washington, D.C., the first such Air Force center led by a historically Black college or university (HBCU).
As associate provost, Coleman will principally serve as a champion for a broad portfolio of interdisciplinary research. In her capacity as a faculty member, she intends to continue an active research group in next-generation aerospace technologies with a focus on autonomy, resilience and sustainability. Her interests include trusted microelectronics for mission-critical systems, software-defined space architectures, and sustainable space engineering practices such as autonomous repair, in-orbit assembly and debris management. She is particularly committed to pioneering dual-use aerospace innovations that strengthen national security while enabling commercial growth. One of her interests is creating the right balance in aerospace systems so that human operators trust the electronics, especially when making split-second, life-or-death decisions.
Looking to the future, "we will need a great deal of talent and innovation as a nation in order to prevail in the space competition for safe and sustainable exploration, economic growth and national security," she said. "The Berkeley Space Center is the right project at the right time."
Born in Greece, Coleman obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Manchester in the UK in 1991. She taught computer science at the University of London from 1988 to 1998, rising to the level of reader - the U.S. equivalent of professor. While at the university's Queen Mary College, she created a Master of Science program in dependable computer systems.
In 1998, she left academia to become the founding director of the System Design Laboratory at SRI International in Menlo Park, California. The lab conducted research in trustworthy systems and cybersecurity, her main areas of research.
While at SRI, she participated in the creation of the technologies leading to the spinout of Siri prior to its acquisition by Apple. She also worked alongside the newly formed Department of Homeland Security to create the department's cybersecurity agenda and became the founding director of the DHS Cyber Security Research and Development Center.
In 2004, Coleman was hired to direct the Trust and Manageability Lab in the Corporate Technology Group of Intel, a leading manufacturer of computer chips, and in 2006 was appointed the vice president of the Computer Science Laboratory at Samsung. In 2010, she took the position of vice president of software engineering at Hewlett-Packard, and in 2011, became Nokia's vice president of emerging platforms. She has held similar leadership positions with Yahoo! in Sunnyvale; Harman International Industries in Michigan; Technicolor in Los Altos; and Atlas AI in Palo Alto. She also served three years as CTO of the Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco.
In 2020, she was tapped to lead DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the R&D arm of the Department of Defense, and in 2021 was appointed to the Air Force, where she served until earlier this year as the 37th Chief Scientific Adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff and Chief of Space Operations. She joined Airbus in 2024. Coleman is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous honors, including the Air Force's Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. In August, she was named to the Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation list. She has served on multiple high-level national science and defense advisory boards, including the Defense Science Board, and helped shape strategic priorities for both the Air Force and Space Force.
