National Security Institute
Accelerating research to mission-ready solutions.
The Penn State National Security Institute advances national security solutions through
interdisciplinary research and strategic partnerships with government and industry.
Expanding a Legacy of Defense Innovation
Building on a legacy of impactful technologies and enduring collaborations, the Institute strengthens the nation’s safety and resilience while developing the next generation of security-focused researchers and leaders. By integrating expertise across disciplines and leveraging Penn State’s unparalleled scale, NSI serves as a unifying engine for innovation and impact.
NSI is not a policy institute. It is a research-driven engine designed to translate academic breakthroughs into real-world solutions for defense, homeland security, and allied industries.
A National Security Advantage
Scale and Breadth
As one of the world’s largest research universities, Penn State brings exceptional depth across disciplines, campuses, and partnerships with the Applied Research Lab—enabling a level of impact few institutions can match.
Research Excellence
Top-tier capabilities across engineering, science, materials, energy, robotics, and aerospace form the foundation of National Security Institute work.
Enduring Reach
A global alumni network and long-standing external partnerships extend NSI’s influence well beyond campus.
Translational Impact
A proven model that turns discovery into deployable, licensable solutions with impact beyond the lab.
“The National Security Institute will accelerate the development of technologies that help deliver cutting-edge and innovative solutions to our federal and industry partners. It builds on decades of defense-related research and the deep interdisciplinary strengths that define Penn State.”
– Andrew Read, Senior Vice President for Research
NSI Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission
To turn research into real-world solutions that meet the nation’s most urgent security needs.
Vision
A national hub where universities, government, industry, and communities work together to rapidly move ideas from discovery to use – strengthening security, resilience, and critical infrastructure across the country.
Values
- Excellence: Pursue the highest standards in research, scholarship, and innovation to address complex security challenges.
- Integrity: Uphold transparency, ethical conduct, and responsible stewardship in all work supporting national security.
- Collaboration: Foster partnerships across academia, industry, and government to accelerate impactful solutions.
- Innovation: Encourage bold ideas and interdisciplinary approaches to advance security in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
- Service: Commit our expertise and resources to strengthening national security and the public good.
From Discovery to Impact
For decades, Penn State has been a trusted leader in defense research. The new NSI expands that commitment by creating a university-wide network that connects campuses, government agencies, and industry partners to accelerate research into real-world security solutions and develop a highly skilled, mission-ready workforce. NSI is designed to collaborate with Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory by unleashing both the intellectual and infrastructure capacity of the entire University.
Translational by Design
Unlike institutes focused primarily on public policy or workforce development, NSI prioritizes deployable technological solutions with impacts beyond meeting the critical needs of national security. Research is structured with translation in mind, enabling adoption across defense, homeland security, and commercial sectors for the benefit of the public good.
A Culture of “We”
Guided by Penn State’s interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, NSI brings researchers together across colleges and campuses, in partnership with government and industry, to solve our nation’s critical challenges positioning the institute as a national epicenter for innovation that translates into deployable solutions.
NSI Leadership
Karen Thole
Director
Dr. Thole is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the engineering field whose research focuses on the development and production of more efficient gas turbine engines. Prior to her time as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, Thole was department head in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State. She founded and directed Penn State’s Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine Lab (START) with the U.S. Department of Energy-National Energy Technology Lab (DOE-NETL) and Pratt & Whitney and expanded in 2023 (START+) with a $26 million commitment from Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Aviation Administration, DOE-NETL and Penn State.
Allison Beese
Senior Associate Director
Dr. Beese is an expert in additive and advanced manufacturing whose research into the mechanics of materials focuses on advanced manufacturing, especially related to national supply chain resilience, point-of-need fabrication and the repair and replacement of parts on demand; materials for extreme environments, like those needed in hypersonic, nuclear and high-temperature technologies; and machine learning-aided material discovery and optimization.