SERC Updates – June 2026
Dear Colleagues,
Happy Summer! We are pleased to announce two distinguished keynote speakers for our seventh annual AI4SE & SE4AI Research and Application Workshop in September. Ms. Rocio Bauer will share her perspective as Assistant Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management (Data, Engineering & Software) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology), and Dr. Tara Sinclair of The George Washington University will give insight on AI’s impact on the workforce and economy. Registration will open in early July.
We are also excited to introduce the Acquisition Talent Base. ATB builds on AIRC’s work to develop the Defense Civilian Training Corps, scaling curriculum and mentorship with more government partners to broaden the base of stellar acquisition professionals.
Cheers,
Dinesh Verma
Executive Director
News
The Acquisition Talent Base Program: Where Talent Meets Mission
Dozens of students, government leaders, and other special guests gathered for the newest initiative AIRC is leading to develop the next generation acquisition workforce.
AIRC Insights Guests Discuss Weapon System Readiness
Government leaders Mr. Patrick Kelleher and Ms. Diana Maurer joined industry innovator Ms. Anna Farberov and AIRC Fellow Moshe Schwartz for a spirited discussion on AI, supply chains and more.
Policy Test Labs, Weapon Readiness and More at NPS Symposium
SERC and AIRC experts presented their insights on numerous dynamic topics at the 23rd Naval Postgraduate School gathering on acquisition research.
Research Highlights
Digital Acquisition Transformation and Digital Data Strategy Pilots
Dr. Laura Freeman and Virginia Tech colleagues developed an interactive dashboard of a supply chain resilience framework to explore relationships among resilience characteristics and disruptor scenarios.
NLP-Driven Automated User Interface for Acquisition Text
Dr. Jose Ramirez Marquez of Stevens Institute of Technology developed a web-based platform that leverages NLP techniques to automate the analysis of acquisition-related policy documents.
NLP Recognition and Categorization of Acquisition Documents
AIRC Deputy Chief Scientist Doug Buettner and a joint Stevens and Virginia Tech team explored AI “that augments human expertise while maintaining the rigor required for defense acquisition policy development.”
Events
- NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference & Exhibition | September 8-10, 2026 | Washington, DC
- AI4SE & SE4AI Research & Application Workshop | September 22-23, 2026 | Washington, DC
- NTSA Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference | November 30- December 4, 2026 | Orlando, FL




