Auburn University’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development is pleased to announce the hiring of Jonathan Pettus as executive director of the Auburn University Applied Research Institute in Huntsville.

Pettus previously worked for 27 years at NASA, where he served in a variety of executive leadership roles including as NASA’s chief information officer and as the associate director of Marshall Space Flight Center. Before joining the Auburn family, he retired from Dynetics/Leidos, where he led a business unit that included programs in space, hypersonics and cybersecurity solutions.

Pettus earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mathematics history in 1987 from the University of North Alabama in Florence and a master’s degree in computer science in 1995 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He began his career as a high school mathematics teacher and basketball coach.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to help with the overall strategic goal of continuing to grow Auburn’s impact in applied research,” Pettus said.

The Auburn University Applied Research Institute operates within the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park near the Redstone Arsenal, a 38,000-acre federal research, development, test and engineering center. The Institute brings together Auburn faculty, research professionals, and students to conduct cutting-edge applied research and development across a range of technology readiness levels to help customers overcome aerospace, defense, national security and biotechnology challenges.