{"683386":{"#nid":"683386","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meet Tommer Ender: Interim Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETommer Ender, Ph.D., serves as the interim Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and Senior Vice President for Georgia Tech, stepping into the role following the departure of Jim Hudgens, who became President and CEO of UL Research Institutes in June.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EEnder takes the helm at GTRI as it reaches a new milestone in awards and revenue. During fiscal year 2025, GTRI secured $964 million in new awards, up 11% from the previous year, and earned $980 million in revenue. GTRI\u0027s renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to support national security, the state of Georgia, and industry.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cTommer has been a driving force behind GTRI\u2019s growth and evolution, and I\u2019m grateful he\u2019s serving in this interim capacity,\u201d said Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech\u2019s executive vice president for research. \u201cHis deep roots at Georgia Tech \u2014 as an alumnus, researcher, and executive \u2014 give him a uniquely steady hand at a pivotal time. He leads with both technical expertise and human insight, a rare combination that will serve GTRI well in the months ahead.\u201d\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EEnder leads over 3,000 GTRI employees and researchers across a variety of disciplines, including autonomous systems, cybersecurity, electromagnetics, electronic warfare, modeling and simulation, sensors, systems engineering, test and evaluation, and threat systems. As interim Senior Vice President of Georgia Tech, Ender also serves on the President\u2019s Cabinet helping set operational and strategic direction for the Institute and reports to Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech\u2019s executive vice president for Research.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWith nearly 25 years of experience focused on national security and systems engineering research, Ender most recently served as GTRI\u2019s Deputy Director for Research, leading the Electronics, Optics, and Systems Directorate (EOSD). He managed operations for an 800-person unit with an annual $300 million research portfolio across three research laboratories, and was also a member of the GTRI Executive Council, helping set GTRI strategy and informing critical decisions impacting the organization. Ender was previously the Director of GTRI\u2019s Electronic Systems (ELSYS) Laboratory, which has over 500 personnel across 12 locations in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EEnder\u2019s personal area of research includes development of collaborative, executable Model -Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools utilizing multidisciplinary design optimization and trade space analytics applied to complex problems. He has also served as an instructor and course developer for Georgia Tech\u2019s Professional Master\u2019s in Applied Systems Engineering, and has been a member of several doctoral and master\u2019s thesis committees at Georgia Tech and other universities.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cFor the past two decades, I have had the privilege to work with GTRI\u2019s renowned team of researchers who deliver innovative solutions to the world\u2019s most complex issues,\u201d said Ender. \u201cI am humbled to have been appointed interim Director of GTRI to support our mission focused on national security, improving the human condition, serving the state of Georgia, and educating future technology leaders.\u201d\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EEnder has been invited to participate in a number of national committees, including at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, offering up his expertise in the areas of systems and digital engineering. He is also a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and an active member of the International Council on Systems Engineers (INCOSE), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), and Military Operations Research Society (MORS), regularly publishing with those organizations.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EA three-time alumnus, Ender earned his bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s and doctorate degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP).\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech will be conducting a national search to identify the permanent director of GTRI, with more details to follow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, please contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Egtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about GTRI, visit: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute | GTRI\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETommer Ender, Ph.D., is the interim Director of GTRI and Senior VP at Georgia Tech, succeeding Jim Hudgens, now President and CEO of UL Research Institutes.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Tommer Ender, Ph.D., is the interim Director of GTRI and Senior VP at Georgia Tech, succeeding Jim Hudgens, now President and CEO of UL Research Institutes."}],"uid":"35874","created_gmt":"2025-07-30 15:26:07","changed_gmt":"2025-07-30 15:44:51","author":"Anna Akins","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677532":{"id":"677532","type":"image","title":"Tommer Ender ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGTRI\u0027s interim Director Tommer Ender takes the helm as the organization reaches a new milestone in awards and revenue. During fiscal year 2025, GTRI secured $964 million in new awards, up 11% from the previous year, and earned $980 million in revenue.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753889178","gmt_created":"2025-07-30 15:26:18","changed":"1753889178","gmt_changed":"2025-07-30 15:26:18","alt":"A headshot of GTRI\u0027s interim Director Tommer Ender. ","file":{"fid":"261440","name":"Tommer-Ender_interim_director.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/30\/Tommer-Ender_interim_director.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/30\/Tommer-Ender_interim_director.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3802441,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/30\/Tommer-Ender_interim_director.jpg?itok=6UnzQxuS"}},"677531":{"id":"677531","type":"image","title":"Tommer Ender","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGTRI\u0027s interim Director Tommer Ender takes the helm as the organization reaches a new milestone in awards and revenue. During fiscal year 2025, GTRI secured $964 million in new awards, up 11% from the previous year, and earned $980 million in revenue.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753889178","gmt_created":"2025-07-30 15:26:18","changed":"1753889178","gmt_changed":"2025-07-30 15:26:18","alt":"A photo of GTRI\u0027s interim Director Tommer Ender, who is seated. ","file":{"fid":"261439","name":"Ender_Tommer_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/30\/Ender_Tommer_.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/30\/Ender_Tommer_.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":62507,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/30\/Ender_Tommer_.jpg?itok=Pr9jIqU3"}}},"media_ids":["677532","677531"],"groups":[{"id":"1276","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"44641","name":"institute communications"},{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"186313","name":"Aerospace Engineering School"},{"id":"187881","name":"Electronic Systems (ELSYS) Laboratory"},{"id":"543","name":"National Security"},{"id":"188423","name":"improving the human condition"},{"id":"190532","name":"state of Georgia impact"},{"id":"189094","name":"educate future leaders"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["gtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu","nikki.troxclair@gtri.gatech.edu","michelle.gowdy@gtri.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}