Dr. Thomas C. Fu

Dr. Thomas C. Fu is the Executive Director of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), where he serves as the ONR Chief Scientist and senior civilian manager. In this capacity, he oversees the coordination, execution, and promotion of science and technology initiatives for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Dr. Fu provides executive technical and scientific leadership for ONR’s investments in advanced science, technology, and innovative operational concepts, ensuring a technological edge for our warfighters and allies.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Fu was Head of the Sea Warfare and Weapons Department at ONR, directing efforts to develop advanced technologies that enhance warfighting capabilities and energy efficiency for Navy and Marine Corps platforms. His responsibilities included investment in fundamental and applied research across a range of areas, including power systems, advanced materials and manufacturing, environmental quality, undersea weaponry, and platform survivability, sustainment, performance, and autonomy. He also managed the National Naval Responsibilities for Naval Engineering and Undersea Weapons.

Dr. Fu entered the Senior Executive Service in September 2015 as the Director of the Advanced Naval Platforms Division at ONR. He transitioned to the acting head of the Sea Warfare and Weapons Department in January 2019 and was appointed to the permanent position in April 2020. His federal service began in 1988 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, where he worked as a part-time mechanical engineer while pursuing graduate studies. After earning his doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1993, Dr. Fu became a full-time research engineer, advancing to senior research engineer in 2001 and later leading the Resistance & Propulsion Division from 2008. He served as Deputy Head of the Hydromechanics Department, which became the Naval Architecture & Engineering Department in 2012 and held roles as Director of Science & Technology and Naval Engineering Education Center program manager. In October 2014, Dr. Fu joined ONR as a program officer in the Sea Warfare and Weapons Department.

Dr. Fu has authored over 140 technical papers. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from Purdue University (1984), a Master of Science in Physical Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego (1988), and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (1993). He was a Visiting Scholar at George Washington University in 2013 and an adjunct faculty member there in 2014 and has also taught at the University of Maryland and Oregon State University.

In 2023, Dr. Fu was honored with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) David W. Taylor Medal and was named an Asian-American Engineer of the Year by the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA in 2013. He is a Fellow of both SNAME and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). His accolades include the Meritorious Unit Commendation (2013) and the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award (1998). Additionally, Dr. Fu serves as the Navy’s representative on the NATO-Applied Vehicle Technology Panel and is the Editor-in-Chief of the SNAME Journal of Ship Research.