Michael “Rocket” Halem

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

Michael “Rocket” Halem currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation. With a lifelong interest in science, technology, aviation, space, mechanics, electronics, computers, and artificial intelligence, Mr. Halem has worked professionally in the intelligent transportation, medical device development, and real-time/quantitative arbitrage. He brings a broad base of subject matter expertise and innovative thinking to his new position.

Mr. Halem earned his BA in Physics from Harvard University and worked as an engineer for Pan Am, the prime contractor for launch support at Cape Canaveral, where he developed the Real-Time Telemetry Display System and a prototype Space Shuttle intercept controller’s console.

He worked in hardware and software engineering before earning his MBA in Management and Finance from Columbia University to complement his technical background in science and engineering. 

After finishing business school in New York, he transitioned into finance and trading systems on Wall Street, where he earned the nickname “Rocket” as a reference to his prior work at the Cape. 

Mr. Halem is a licensed commercial pilot and maintains (within Federal Aviation Regulations) a 1943 AT-6 Texan, participating in airshows for over 20 years in the formation segment. He is the developer of multiple inventions, using either patent or trade secret protection as needed. He has been granted one patent and has one patent pending.