Pamela Wood
Chantilly
Summary
Results-driven engineer with over 20 years of proven success in project management, serving as a trusted advisor to U.S. Government clients. Expertise in thriving within fast-paced, dynamic environments that demand innovative solutions and strong leadership. Skilled at fostering relationships across large, complex organizations and acting as a matrix resource to drive collaboration. Passionate about advancing AI-enabled, autonomous capabilities for the space community, with a strong focus on leveraging complex data analysis to facilitate informed decision-making.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Project Leader
The Aerospace Corporation
06.2023 - Current
- Direct cross-functional technical teams, serving as chief technical representative to intelligence community (IC) and Space Force stakeholders regarding artificial intelligence autonomy and space systems integration projects.
- Craft comprehensive project plans, structured schedules, and resource allocation frameworks to boost operational efficiency and ensure value delivery.
- Coach junior team members, promoting professional development and elevating team performance.
- Manage large-scale technical projects across multiple program offices while providing strategic oversight on corporate initiatives and executive-level decision-making support.
Senior Project Engineer
The Aerospace Corporation
06.2018 - 06.2023
- Serves as senior technical leader and primary investigator for customer facing and Aerospace internal projects. Leads a ~$1M technical investment portfolio. Mentors less experienced MTS and serves as role model.
- Senior Project Engineer, Advanced Research and Engineering Department
- Works directly with customers to research, develop and integrate advanced artificial intelligence solutions. Conducts independent research and manages portfolio of Aerospace expertise toward customer needs.
- Engineering Specialist, Integrated Cost and Schedule Analysis Department
- Works across multiple disciplines and programs, both internal and external to Aerospace, to provide technical support and guidance in areas of expertise. Primarily works tasks that require data analytics expertise and innovation in the areas of cost estimation and analysis. Effectively balances and prioritizes high volumes of workloads. Serves as a member or a lead on multi-disciplinary projects.
Operations Research Analyst
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
02.2017 - 06.2018
- Data Analyst / Mathematician – Enterprise Performance Modeling and Analysis Team, National Intelligence Customer
- Member of multi-disciplinary team of network engineers and mathematicians performing Tier 3 support.
- Leads efforts to gather, synthesize, analyze, and present data from a variety of disparate data sets to provide timely situational awareness, deepen understanding and inform leadership decisions. Developed staffing model to estimate resource requirements to eliminate workload backlogs; analyzed service requests at the task level to resolve process bottlenecks and regularly brief D/COMM on progress; developed decision hierarchy model to prioritize engineering workload.
- Demonstrates thought leadership to expand the current reactive and static analyses toward proactive and strategic analyses by developing decision and risk models, predictive demand forecasting, and informative data visualizations.
- Designs and manages rapid prototyping projects that involve automated extract, transform, and load processes and customer facing dashboard visualizations.
- Regularly develops, implements, and maintains code for process automations, resulting in significant time and resource savings for a variety of users.
Data Scientist / Statistician
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
12.2014 - 03.2017
- Analysis Office of Special Programs, National Intelligence Customer
- Daily activities focused on solving analytical problems and optimizing performance of analysts, processes, and systems. Provided direct support to intelligence analysts regarding quantitative statistical analysis and visualization methods for their analyses. Supported intelligence efforts for nearly all national intelligence domains of interest resulting in a comprehensive understanding of a variety of programs and missions. Developed a specific area of interest and expertise in space and counter-space threat analysis.
- Performed sophisticated GEOINT analyses by pairing many disciplines together to deepen understanding for a broad range of intelligence threat areas. Regularly identified and presented data trends for key threat areas to answer existing, new and emerging intelligence questions. Work resulted in more than ten examples of published and actionable intelligence. Performed at least six briefings to Agency seniors, directors, mission partners, conferences or Agency-wide and supported numerous more, including an international mission-partner delegation briefing on analytic tradecraft and techniques.
- Highly resourceful in identifying useful sources of data and information, to include both information systems and subject matter experts outside of the direct organization. Demonstrated expertise to connect people to useful and beneficial resources, common mission threads, and synergistic data sources. Equally skilled at facilitating technical exchange meetings to share ideas and information and to achieve decision results for Government personnel.
- Oversaw and directed the development and application of innovative methods to identify, extract, process, automate and analyze large and complex volumes of data to build and enhance products, processes, and systems. Served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) regarding structured observation management (SOM) data collection methods and Activity Based Intelligence (ABI) techniques to answer existing, new and emerging military and intelligence questions.
- Provided expert guidance and facilitation of analytic tradecraft training materials to effectively implement agency initiatives. Developed material for the tradecraft instruction demonstrating the application of analytics to structured data and served as a subject matter expert (SME) to the Analytic Tradecraft Office to deliver the training to intelligence analysts in different Government facilities. The training material developed is mandatory requirement for all intelligence analysts at the agency.
- Disseminated sophisticated scripts and algorithms to the Intelligence Community and individual analysts to optimize processing time and provide more time to perform in-depth intelligence analysis. Scripts produced on-demand visualizations of data from multiple sources with a variety of detail and perspective. Developed new and innovative ways to gather, analyze, visualize, and synthesize information using a variety of tools to include Python, ArcGIS, R, R-studio, Excel VBA, Access, Tableau, and Kibana.
Cost Estimator
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
01.2012 - 12.2014
- Multiple Directorates, National Intelligence Customer
- Performed cost and risk analysis on program data to improve credibility of both customer and internal work products.
- Developed complex Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs) for IT enterprise services such as Transport, Data Center, Enterprise Management, and Desktop Services. Supported and enhanced cost estimates for IC DTE services for the agency and other mission partners.
- Performed regular ad hoc cost analyses to evaluate the cost of providing agency IT services.
- Identified cost estimating relationships using historical program data using single and multi-variate regression analysis.
- Developed research projects on cost topics applicable to customer needs, such as inflation rate development, inflation trends for construction indices and cost reduction techniques in a fiscally constrained environment.
Senior Industrial Engineer
Management Analysis, Inc.
01.2009 - 12.2011
- Developed creative solutions for numerous government clients on projects that included cost and financial analysis, budget formulation and execution, organizational assessments, business process reengineering, international economics and politics, performance management programs, logistics and operations analysis, activity-based costing, privatization of professional services, process design, and implementation techniques. Work products included technical reports, briefs, process flow chart models, electronic templates, graphs, charts, and other presentation materials. Responsible for full project lifecycle from planning to execution, including management of budgets, client relationships, quality of work, and project milestones. Performed work on over 30 different projects.
- Global consulting firm whose clients include local, state, and federal governments.
Industrial Engineer
Management Analysis, Inc.
05.2005 - 01.2009
- Developed creative solutions for numerous government clients on projects that included cost and financial analysis, budget formulation and execution, organizational assessments, business process reengineering, international economics and politics, performance management programs, logistics and operations analysis, activity-based costing, privatization of professional services, process design, and implementation techniques. Work products included technical reports, briefs, process flow chart models, electronic templates, graphs, charts, and other presentation materials. Responsible for full project lifecycle from planning to execution, including management of budgets, client relationships, quality of work, and project milestones. Performed work on over 30 different projects.
- Global consulting firm whose clients include local, state, and federal governments.
Group Leader
Target Corporation
01.2004 - 01.2005
- Managed a 35 FTE department in a regional distribution center. Completed extensive management and leadership training. Developed a practical, working knowledge of distribution, material handling, and process flow practices.
Team Leader
Target Corporation
01.2004 - 12.2004
- Managed a 35 FTE department in a regional distribution center. Completed extensive management and leadership training. Developed a practical, working knowledge of distribution, material handling, and process flow practices.
Education
Ph.D. - Computational Sciences & Informatics
George Mason University
Fairfax, VAM.S. - Data Analytics Engineering
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA05-2017
B.S. - Industrial and Systems Engineering
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA05-2004
Skills
- Data Science and Analytics
- Technical Intelligence Analysis
- Big Data Analysis
- Cost Calculation, Analysis, Reduction, and Avoidance
- Portfolio and Program Management
- Organizational Analysis
- Business Process Reengineering and Process Optimization
- Strategic Thinking
Accomplishments
- Strategic Portfolio & Executive Planning Leadership - In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) Technical Strategy Investment Portfolio (TSIP), successfully transitioning two major efforts to operational customers. Dynamic Space Operations (DSO) LOE#3 Co-PI, publishing comprehensive Neuromorphic Event-Based Sensor strategy for emerging customer technology needs (FY26).
- High-Visibility External Representation & Thought Leadership - Facilitated Breakaway Briefing on RPO and refueling capabilities (February 2026), accelerating commercial space sector awareness enterprise-wide. Selected invited panelist for classified GSAW panel (February 2026). Featured guest on Space Policy Show Episode 162 discussing AI integration in space systems (February 2026). Session Chair for AI for Contested Space Workshop (July 2026). Technical SME for Stanford Policy Lab with Center for Space Policy and Strategy (Spring 2026), examining law and policy governing autonomous systems in space. Represented Aerospace at inaugural DoD FFRDC Summit for AI (May 2024), briefing results to FFRDC CTO forum and senior leadership.
- Technical Leadership and Customer Impact - Published publicly releasable paper establishing foundational approach for key Government customer's verification and validation of AI-enabled autonomous capabilities (FY26). Led a team pivoting from underperforming M&S capability (3-year timeline) to open-source solution, delivering MVP product in under 3 months (FY26). Identified critical modeling and simulation deficiency for major Government program, engaging directly with contractor to prevent schedule delays and resource impacts.
- Featured George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing Alum (FY26). Inducted as Emerging Leader Member to GMU Academy of Engineering and Computing Excellence (February 2026), recognizing significant contributions within 10 years of graduation.
Certification
- Data Analytics Graduate Certificate (May 2015) | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA
- Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (CCEA), January 2013 – January 2023
- Director, Analysis NGA Recognition for Technical Excellence, February and July 2017
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Award, July 2008
- US Forest Service Certificate of Recognition, May 2008
Timeline
Senior Project Leader
The Aerospace Corporation
06.2023 - Current
Senior Project Engineer
The Aerospace Corporation
06.2018 - 06.2023
Operations Research Analyst
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
02.2017 - 06.2018
Data Scientist / Statistician
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
12.2014 - 03.2017
Cost Estimator
SAIC (Formerly TASC)
01.2012 - 12.2014
Senior Industrial Engineer
Management Analysis, Inc.
01.2009 - 12.2011
Industrial Engineer
Management Analysis, Inc.
05.2005 - 01.2009
Group Leader
Target Corporation
01.2004 - 01.2005
Team Leader
Target Corporation
01.2004 - 12.2004
M.S. - Data Analytics Engineering
George Mason University
B.S. - Industrial and Systems Engineering
Virginia Tech
Ph.D. - Computational Sciences & Informatics
George Mason University
Personality Traits
Positive, upbeat, dependable, detail-oriented, honest, and passionate. Outstanding problem solving, analytical, relationship management, and communication skills. Thrives on challenges and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Enjoys working both collaboratively and independently to find innovative solutions to solve some of the nation’s most difficult intelligence challenges.