Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Stanford University, 1999
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Stanford University, 1993
  • B.A.Sc., Engineering Science, University of Toronto, Canada, 1992
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, California, #31675
Professional Affiliations
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (member)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (member)

John Pye, Ph.D., P.E., is Exponent's Vice President for Global Offices and Innovation. With over 25 years' experience in engineering design and early-stage product development, Dr. Pye addresses analysis, test, and technology integration issues around the rapid development and prototyping of complex systems that have the highest expectations of safety and performance.

His expertise includes technology readiness assessments, innovation management, ground and air robotics, wearable technologies, military systems, sensor development and interpretation, aerospace systems, fluid mechanics, and systems engineering. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University and his BASc in engineering science from the University of Toronto. Dr. Pye is a registered professional mechanical engineer in California.

Dr. Pye has been the principal investigator or chief engineer for multiple rapid development efforts focused on adapting and integrating advanced commercial technologies and components to the unique operational environment of the military customer, as well as hardening consumer technologies for use by industrial customers with extreme environment or high reliability application needs. Some of the programs he has led include the MARCbot inspection robot that was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tool in the hunt for roadside IEDs, the RDISS networked surveillance system, and a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system used in the hunt for buried explosive devices by various U.S. and International customers. He also served as chief engineer for the U.S. Army's Human Machine Integrated Formation (HMIF) effort, bringing together resilient networks, autonomy, ground robots, air robots, and an extensible suite of modular mission payloads.

He has worked within the U.S. Army soldier system community for two decades, beginning as the test and evaluation lead during the development of the Land Warrior future soldier program, continuing in various roles with the "warrior" programs that Land Warrior spawned up to the current wearable ensemble in use by Army Infantry: Nett Warrior.

In addition to Dr. Pye's client facing activities, he leads the development and execution of Exponent's geographic growth strategy, as well as an enterprise-level capability development strategy that leverages the firm's office, practice, and market-based infrastructure. He is responsible for driving cross-disciplinary innovation through investments in research, capability development, laboratories, and offices.

Before joining Exponent, Dr. Pye held a research position in the Aerospace Fluid Mechanics Lab at Stanford University. He was also part of the technology development team for a holographic data-storage company and worked in the R&D department of the Orenda engine division of Hawker Siddeley, Canada.

Dr. Pye has been appointed Exponent's President effective May 1, 2026.