Dr. Nancy K. Welker is a physicist and nationally recognized expert in superconducting electronics. She was a pioneer in technology development in Maryland and nationwide. During her 55-year distinguished career with the National Security Agency (NSA), she led groundbreaking research in superconducting materials and integrated circuit manufacturing, which made it possible to develop a new generation of faster and more powerful computers. Dr. Welker earned an A.B. in physics in 1963 from Mount Holyoke College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from American University. She came to NSA in 1963, and worked there until her retirement in 2018. Dr. Welker was the first woman appointed as Chief of the Research and Development (R&D) group and is one of the Agency’s Queens of Code.
