Dr. Mihan House McKenna Taylor

Senior Research Scientist (Near-Surface Phenomenology), US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi

Recipient of the 2013 USACE Researcher of the Year award for innovative remote monitoring of structures, Dr. McKenna Taylor specializes in bringing reality to intelligent decision making. She leads multi-disciplinary near-surface phenomenology research to create adaptive, effective, and revolutionary tools and scientific programs to shape future operational environments, including terrain shaping and near-surface persistent surveillance. Using geophysics and geotechnical engineering to proactively manipulate and assess the near-surface interface, she executes and fosters research to meet multi-domain threat assessment and maneuver goals, through high-performance computing simulations, analytical analysis, and laboratory and field experimentation, with applications for both civil and military end-users across multiple DoD, federal, intelligence and academic communities. Dr. McKenna Taylor also serves as the Basic Research 6.1 Advisor for the ERDC Adaptive Protection, Maneuver, Geospatial, and Natural Sciences Research Portfolio.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY:
• Senior Scientific Technical Manager GS16 (2017-2020) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
• Senior Research Geophysicist (2014-2017) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
• Adjunct Research Professor (2006-current) Southern Methodist University
• Research Geophysicist (2005-2014) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
EDUCATION:
• Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX; Geophysics; Ph.D., 2005
• Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Major: Physics, Minor: Chemistry; B.S., 1999