Daniel J. Pisano, Jr.

Daniel “Dan” J. Pisano, Jr. is the Director of Industrial Engagement for the American Physical Society. He was born October 30, 1946 and was raised in the Metropolitan New York area. His degrees are from Columbia University (B.A. Physics 1968) and Yale University (Ph.D. Physics 1973). His thesis work was a combination of experimental and theoretical nuclear physics providing supporting data about the silicon-burning phase of nucleosynthesis. He held postdoctoral positions at Yale and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

In 1976 Dan decided to pursue a career in industrial physics, joining EMI Medical Inc. as the first technical person to be hired into this startup. There he helped hire a technical staff, establish a development capability, and led the team that developed and brought to market the first modern CT scanner. A colleague of his, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, was awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for his work on the CT proof of concept. Over the course of his career Dan has been fortunate to have been taught by or worked with over a dozen Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine.

Dan went on to hold both technical and general management positions at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation where he contributed to the analytical instrumentation and microlithography businesses and became the chief technical officer of the Corporation. After 10 years at Perkin-Elmer, he became president of several high technology organizations in the fields of spectroscopy, color and appearance measurement, digital imaging, and medical imaging.

Dan raised capital from private equity firms and made an unsuccessful attempt at buying a business. He then founded his own consulting firm, Deming & Pisano LLC, which focused on assisting client businesses to deliver their desired customer experience. Clients included Legg Mason, the Director of the National Security Agency, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Dan joined the MITRE Corporation, where he acted as a trusted advisor in technology and business operations to agencies of the federal government. He joined the American Physical Society staff in 2020.

Dan has over 30 publications and invited talks in the fields in which he has worked. In 1993 Dan was awarded the E* Award by President George H.W. Bush in a Rose Garden ceremony, in recognition of his company’s contribution to improving the global balance of trade of the US. Dan holds two patents, is a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma, and is a Certified Strategic Management Professional.

Dan is married, has three adult children, and now resides in the Annapolis, Maryland area. His spouse, Arlene, is a senior applications developer. His oldest son is Chair of the Physics Department at West Virginia University; his other son is a specialist in network cybersecurity; and his daughter is a professional ballet dancer in NYC and earned a degree in astrophysics from Columbia University. When not involved with technology and business, Dan enjoys woodworking, fishing, and boating.