Ryan Eddy, director of homeland security programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was recognized as one of 50 trailblazers by Homeland Security Today. The award recognizes his long-standing commitment to homeland security, having spent over 20 years in the mission space.

“I am humbled and honored to be a part of this esteemed group of homeland security professionals. I have had the pleasure of working directly with many of them over the course of my career and am thrilled to see them honored as well,” Eddy said. 

The trailblazer award recognizes Eddy for championing “PNNL’s research capabilities and findings to support combating weapons of mass destruction, safe use of nuclear materials, threat analysis, and other areas of expertise to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure, combat global terrorism, and detect concealed threats and explosives.” Currently, Eddy oversees nearly 50 diverse projects supporting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This work supports DHS components like the Transportation Security Administration, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His sector is also home to the Northwest Regional Technology Center, a one-of-a-kind virtual center building partnerships in emergency preparedness and public safety. 

“It’s exciting to work with such a talented team that is dedicated to delivering science and technology to protect the public. We don’t always see it, but their solutions are at work practically everywhere—in our airports, in our cyber networks and critical infrastructure, at some of our favorite venues—helping keep us safe,” Eddy said. 

PNNL homeland security programs are delivering award-winning capabilities, from data and visual analytics to risk modeling, cybersecurity, and more. As an example, a team at PNNL was recently recognized for their efforts to support the Transportation Security Administration in cloud computing. In addition, the Real-Time Advanced Imaging Technology was recognized with an R&D 100 Award, one of several received for PNNL’s millimeter-wave technology over the years. Eddy and colleague Ann Lesperance also recently co-authored a piece in the Domestic Preparedness Journal highlighting the role national laboratory partnerships play in the homeland security mission. 

Eddy’s commitment to homeland security is long-standing. Before joining PNNL, he served as the senior policy advisor to the presidentially appointed director at the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office for DHS and as the confidential assistant to the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. A commitment to both grow as a leader and grow future leaders has been key to every step along the way. 

“From my time in Washington, D.C. to today at PNNL, it has always been gratifying to do work that is protecting the homeland and to help share that with the next generation. I have been so fortunate to have had amazing mentors along the way, and it is my priority to pay it forward to help welcome interns and other emerging leaders who are interested in building homeland security into the future,” Eddy said.

See the full list of 2024 Trailblazers at https://trailblazers.hstoday.us/.