Originally from Susanville, Calif., Captain von Brandt enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2014, where he served as a network technician in a base communications squadron. Upon his application to the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2017, he was admitted to the Academy Prep School, and subsequently to the Academy class of 2022, graduating with a BS in Engineering Chemistry and completing a minor in Nuclear Weapons and Strategy. After commissioning into the 62E career field, he served as a project manager in a software development squadron in San Antonio, Texas.

Captain von Brandt went on to pursue his graduate education through the AFIT CI program at the Colorado School of Mines, where his research focused on enzyme immobilization on mesoporous composite materials.

MS, Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo. (2026)

BS, Chemistry, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (2022)

Instructor of Chemistry, Chemistry Department, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (2025-Present)

AFIT Civilian Institution Student, Colorado School of Mines, Colo. (2024-2025)

Software Product Owner, 90th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas (2022-2024)

Infrastructure Operations Technician, 88th Communications Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (2015-2017)