Dr. Ivan P. Beckman is currently serving as the Acting Director, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
For the past year, Dr. Beckman served CRREL in the role of Deputy Director, as the senior advisor to the CRREL Director, member of the ERDC Board of Deputy Directors, and member of the Junior Program and Budget Advisory Council (JPBAC). In this role, he provided strategic direction for the laboratory’s research in New Hampshire and Alaska, promoted a capable and successful workforce, and led business process improvements in support of CRREL’s research mission.
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, and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Most notably, Dr. Beckman served as Commander for the U.S. Army Engineering Research & Development Center (ERDC) from 2018-2019 leading DoD’s largest multi-disciplined engineer and research center with seven laboratories at four major installations and 14 field sites. 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.