Michael Redlich

Dr. Michael Redlich is a civilian employee of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Prior to his appointment as a National Security Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, he served as the Chief Engineer for a Major Systems Acquisition satellite program designed to introduce cutting-edge data streams to Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) analysts. Previously he acted as a Flight Director, overseeing the initialization of a new satellite system. He began his career at the NRO as a research physicist, focusing on the development of quantum sensors and Position, Navigation, 

Timing solutions to ensure that the NRO remains the operator of the world’s most advanced reconnaissance satellites. As the Principal Investigator for those portfolios, Michael initiated novel research projects, provided technical oversight to performers, and developed long term Research & Development strategies for DoD and IC senior leaders. Michael holds a concurrent appointment as an adjunct professor of physics at Northern Virginia Community College.

Prior to his career in federal service, Michael worked in academia - designing, constructing, and operating laser systems for biological microscopy. Specifically, his research focused on the use of Third Harmonic Generation Microscopy for the visualization of myelin in the cerebral cortex, providing a novel modality to assay myelination and demyelination processes associated respectively with learning and disease.

Michael earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in physics from the City University of New York.