ARLINGTON, Va.—An Office of Naval Research (ONR) senior leader received the Department of Defense (DoD) Distinguished Civilian Service Award on Nov. 4, largely for his success at transitioning programs from science and technology (S&T) into naval acquisition programs.
The award was presented during a ceremony at the Pentagon to Dr. Joseph P. Lawrence III who oversees ONR’s Transition Directorate.
“Joe’s work in getting real technology solutions from ONR into the fleet and DoD has been tremendous,” said Dr. Walter F. Jones, ONR’s executive director. “He is an asset both to ONR and to the Sailors and Marines who’ve benefited from these capabilities.”
Lawrence is responsible for a range of research and development programs of more than $1 billion aimed at getting S&T solutions into the hands of Navy and Marine Corps warfighters. In this role, his work focuses on policy, planning, resourcing and managing a significant portion of the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) S&T budget, including Future Naval Capabilities and DoN Small Business Innovation Research and Manufacturing Technology programs.
One of Lawrence’s contributions was developing a method for reporting on the transitioned technologies—a process that is largely regarded as a best practice for other S&T organizations and within DoD. The improved process allows for comprehensive tracking of each S&T product scheduled for transition and includes asset descriptions, sponsors, funding and acquisition agents. The valuable source of information is provided to S&T organizations across the DoN, Marine Corps and other services to solicit feedback and identify partnership opportunities.
Three products that stand out among his numerous transitions include: QuikClot, a wound dressing that’s applied on the battlefield to prevent patients from extreme blood loss while being transported to a hospital; the Advanced Electromagnetic Armor Electronic Protection System, which protects certain vehicles against rocket-propelled grenades; and the Large Vessel Interface Lift-on/Lift-off Crane, which enables containers to be easily transferred between two ships while in transit.
A Senior Executive Service member since 2001 with 35 years of federal service, Lawrence has been at ONR for 10 years. He holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in engineering.