Lt Col Nickolas A. Uptain is an Instructor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to his teaching duties, he serves as the Resource Director for 23 faculty, staff, and researchers, supporting the instruction of over 1,250 cadets annually in state-of-the-art laboratories.

Lt Col Uptain earned his commission in 2007 through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas A&M University, where he majored in Aerospace Engineering. He began his career in flight test planning, executing over 300 precision navigation missions on various aircraft in a GPS Electronic Warfare environment. He later led high-risk flight tests, including first flights and payload testing for developmental aircraft. Transitioning to program management, he oversaw three Integrated Product Teams for the B-21 Raider Program Office, covering Mission Planning, Flight Technologies, and Software through the major weapon system Preliminary Design Review. He then led a classified ACAT I-D equivalent portfolio, directing the activities of a 250-person team as both the Program Element Monitor and Program Manager. During the pandemic, he served as Program Manager for the Oral PCR Testing project within the Air Force's COVID-19 Task Force, successfully implementing testing across 90 installations for the Department of Defense. He also served as the Acquisition Authority for 40 projects across a 75-person organization, developing tools to deliver intelligence data to warfighters.

Lt Col Uptain is an unrated mission aircrew member with over 200 hours in both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. As an Acquisition Officer, he holds the highest Department of Defense certifications in Program Management and Flight Test.

Bachelor of Science,  Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (2007)

Master of Science, Engineering Management, University of Ohio, Athens, Ohio (2013)

GPS NAVWAR Test Manager, 746th Test Squadron, Holloman AFB, NM (2007–2009)

GPS NAVWAR Test Engineer, 746th Test Squadron, Holloman AFB, NM (2009–2011)

Flight Test Director, [Data Masked] (2011–2015)

Program Manager, B-21 System Program Office, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Bolling AFB, Washington D.C. (2015–2018)

Program Element Monitor and Program Manager, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Bolling AFB, Washington D.C. (2018–2021)

Program Manager for Curative SARS-CoV-2 Testing, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Pentagon, Washington D.C. (2020–2022)

Program Manager, Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2021–2024)

Instructor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, USAF Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2024–present)

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters

Aerial Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster