Meet Our Team
Marie Kane, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice President for National Security Research & Director, Applied Research for National Security
Marie Kane, Ph.D.’s Bio
R. Lee Dale
Associate Director, Applied Research for National Security
R. Lee Dale’s Bio
Christy Pinner
Executive Assistant II
Christy Pinner’s BioMarie Kane, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice President for National Security Research & Director, Applied Research for National Security
Marie Kane serves as assistant vice president for National Security Research. She leads UF’s expanding portfolio in defense, intelligence and national security and directs the Applied Research for National Security (ARNS) Laboratory.
In this role, Kane oversees the development of UF’s national security research center, including establishing technical focus areas, guiding facility planning and strengthening partnerships with federal agencies, industry and academic collaborators. She also coordinates defense-related research programs across the university and supports faculty engagement in high-security research environments.
Kane brings more than 20 years of national security research and program leadership experience. Before joining UF, she served as program deputy for stockpile sustainment and production at Sandia National Laboratories, managing a $600 million portfolio supporting the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Her previous roles at Sandia included senior manager of advanced and exploratory systems, as well as leadership positions in materials chemistry, remote sensing and nuclear weapons project management.
She began her career as a materials scientist at Savannah River National Laboratory, contributing to research in energy storage, organic sensors and environmental management programs.
Kane holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering and chemical engineering from the University of Florida. She is an inventor on multiple U.S. patents related to battery and polymer technologies and has published research on lithium-air batteries, radiation effects on polymers and polymer sensors. She has completed executive training in national and international security at the Harvard Kennedy School and maintains active high-level security clearances.
R. Lee Dale
Associate Director, Applied Research for National Security
Lee Dale serves as associate director for research administration at Applied Research for National Security (ARNS), the University of Florida’s national security research center. He works with Department of War and Intelligence Community sponsors to translate mission requirements into research programs the university can execute, and supports the administrative, sponsor-engagement and secure-research functions that allow UF to pursue classified and controlled work.
In this role, Dale supports sponsor engagement and capture, research administration and contracting coordination, secure research planning, and internal alignment across security, compliance and institutional stakeholders. He helps connect sponsor needs with UF faculty capabilities and supports the development of programs in areas such as AI-enabled systems, hardware security, space and radiation-tolerant systems, advanced materials and biosecurity.
Dale brings 26 years of national security experience to the role, retiring from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2025 after a career in counterintelligence and human intelligence. He executed, led, and advised intelligence organizations across six overseas tours, serving with the Defense Intelligence Agency, Army Counterintelligence Command, NATO’s Allied Command Counterintelligence and U.S. Southern Command, where he was the senior counterintelligence advisor for Department of Defense activities throughout Latin America. He worked routinely with CIA, FBI, NCIS, AFOSI, USCGCIS, and allied services across thirty plus countries.
His assignments included source operations, technical collection and counter-surveillance development, acquisition of sensitive defense and intelligence programs, accredited facility construction and operations, and negotiation of interagency and international agreements governing joint and combined activity.
Dale is a University of Florida alumnus and a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional and maintains active high-level security clearance and accesses.
Christy Pinner
Executive Assistant II
Christy Pinner serves as Executive Assistant II supporting the University of Florida’s national security research enterprise. In this role, she provides executive and administrative support to the Assistant Vice President for National Security Research and helps coordinate activities that advance strategic research and collaboration in defense, intelligence, and national security. Her responsibilities include managing complex scheduling and travel, coordinating meetings and events, preparing materials and communications, supporting fiscal and administrative activities, and facilitating interactions with university leadership and external partners, including government and military stakeholders.
Christy brings more than 15 years of administrative experience, with much of her career spent at the University of Florida. Her UF experience spans research administration, engineering, veterinary medicine, and the College of Design, Construction and Planning. Throughout these roles, she has supported senior leadership, coordinated faculty and candidate visits, managed departmental events, assisted with budgetary and fiscal activities, and supported the day-to-day operations of complex academic and research environments.
Christy holds an Associate of Science in Business Administration and has earned multiple University of Florida professional certifications, including Pro3 Fiscal Management, Pro3 HR/Payroll Management, Academic Department Support, and RAFT certifications. She brings a service-focused and collaborative approach to her work and is committed to creating an organized, welcoming, and responsive environment that enables faculty, leadership, and partners to focus on advancing UF’s national security research mission.