Dr. Ivan P. Beckman was named director of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in December 2024. CRREL, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is one of seven laboratories that comprise the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and a global leader in research and technical solutions that meet operational challenges encountered in the Earth's cold regions.
As CRREL’s director, Dr. Beckman provides strategic guidance and policy direction for the laboratory’s operations, and spearheads its comprehensive research, development, technology, and program management initiatives.
Dr. Beckman, who was selected to the Senior Executive Service upon his appointment as director, previously served as CRREL’s deputy director and a research mechanical engineer within the Computational Analysis branch at ERDC’s Information Technology Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Dr. Beckman retired as a Colonel after thirty years of active-duty U.S. Army service and leadership, holding command and staff positions in Korea, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Colorado, and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Most notably, Dr. Beckman served as ERDC Commander from 2018-2019, where his command responsibility included 2,500 government, academic, and contracted personnel with property in excess of $9.3 billion.
Dr. Beckman holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Mississippi State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri Rolla, a Master of Strategic Studies (MSS) from the U.S. Army War College, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy – West Point.