Derek (Duff) Gowanlock

Biography

Director of the Aurora Shield program within the Drone Innovation Hub (DIH), focusing on defence research and development and supporting the commercialization of industry drone, counter-drone and autonomy technologies. A graduate of the National Test Pilot School and the University of Tennessee (M.A.Sc. in Aerodynamics), Mr. Gowanlock brings 28 years of experience in flight testing and senior leadership acquired during his service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In addition to numerous technical flight test appointments, Mr. Gowanlock served as the RCAF’s Senior Flight Test Engineer and held two command positions—at the squadron level and as Commander of Canadian Special Operations Forces Headquarters. Since joining the National Research Council in 2016, Mr. Gowanlock has focused on advancing vertical lift autonomy, leading a highly skilled team of researchers and engineers with one of the largest initiatives within the Aerospace Research Centre. This work involved developing and demonstrating advanced autonomy in full-scale helicopters, with particular emphasis on human-autonomy and autonomy-autonomy teaming, with the team accomplishing several world-first demonstrations.