David Vos, PhD is co-founder of The Vos Foundation. He led Project Wing at Google [X] through Nov 2016, culminating in the world's first month long drone delivery service at Va Tech. Prior to joining Google [X], Dr. Vos was Senior Director at Rockwell Collins after their acquisition of Athena Technologies – a leading flight control and navigation systems company – in April 2008. Vos was Founder, CTO and CEO of Athena Technologies. Having worked in the unmanned systems industry for over 30 years, he is a pioneer and a thought leader in the area of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Automated Aviation.

Born in South Africa and now a U.S. citizen, Vos is the inventor and developer of Athena’s core technology. He holds patents in nonlinear control systems, image augmented navigation, propulsion controls and more, and has broad experience in navigation, guidance and flight control systems. From August 2007 thru 2016, Vos was appointed by Virginia’s Governor to the Vint Hill Economic Development Authority’s Board of Commissioners. In June of 2007, Vos was named by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year in the Greater Washington area.

Vos holds a B.S. in Engineering with Honors in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, an M.S. in Dynamics and Control from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Estimation and Control from MIT, in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.