Matthew J. Olander

Matthew J. Olander (1994) was named Vice President for Design and Engineering at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut in January 2021. In this role, Olander leads all new nuclear submarine designs, Electric Boat’s Independent Research and Development (IRaD) and Concept Formulation (CONFORM). He oversees a diverse team of over 4,000 designers and engineers, and is the champion for Electric Boat’s digital transformation.

Olander graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and University of Connecticut with a dual bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgy.

Prior to his current assignment, Olander was the Program Director of Virginia Design and CONFORM. In this role, Olander executed an organizational realignment to bring all classes of fast attack submarine design efforts under a single director for the first time. Previously, Olander took over as Director of CONFORM and IRaD in 2015, where he led these organizations to challenge historic paradigms and develop breakthrough advancements in submarine warfighting capability. Prior to these assignments,  Olander held key roles developing new capabilities for USS Jimmy Carter earning him the General Dynamics Technology Excellence Award in 2004.

Olander currently sits on advisory boards for the University of Connecticut School of Engineering and the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), and is Electric Boat’s Executive member for General Dynamics Engineering and Technology Council. Olander also previously served as Executive Control Board Member of the National Shipbuilding Research Program.