Senior Research Strategy Officer, NSRI
Colonel (Ret), US Army
Dr. Neal Woollen is the Senior Research Strategy Officer for the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI), a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), sponsored by the US Strategic Commmand and affiliated with the University of Nebraska.
Dr. Woollen served as a US Navy Hospital Corpsman (1975-1979) and retired from the US Army Veterinary Corps (May, 2018) after more than 29 years of military service. He earned Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Ph.D. degrees from Kansas State University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.
Throughout the second phase of his military career, his work focused primarily on managing consequences associated with zoonotic diseases and high consequence pathogens that may cause endemic or pandemic disease, be used as biological weapons, or be accidentally released from containment. Dr. Woollen is experienced in laboratory studies, field work with outbreak investigations and mobile platform diagnostics, and response to accidental and intentional release of pathogens.
Prior to military retirement he was tasked to develop, staff and execute a new office in the Department of Defense focused on managing risk associated with biological select agents and toxins (BSAT), the BSAT Biorisk Program Office, that merged the disciplines of biosafety and biosecurity. In between periods of active duty military service Dr. Woollen was engaged in production animal health research for the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and received training in foreign animal disease diagnostics.