B.S. in electrical engineering, 1994 M.S. in electrical engineering, 1996
Carey G. Buxton boasts an exceptional career in national service, pioneering advancements in antenna systems and electromagnetic technologies.
Buxton earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1994 and was then awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to continue her studies in electromagnetic compatibility at UK. After completing her master’s degree in 1996, Buxton went on to earn her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, where she completed her pioneering work on mutual coupling techniques in broad band phased arrays.
As a senior engineer at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Center for Antennas and Propagation, Buxton leads critical efforts supporting national security and is currently developing new nonlinear approaches to analyze and design antennas. Prior to her tenure at the CIA, she dedicated more than 14 years to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where she established and managed the Antenna Systems Development Facility (ASDF). Under her leadership, the ASDF became a critical national resource for antenna design and characterization, supporting law enforcement and intelligence agencies worldwide.
Among her many technical achievements, Buxton holds two U.S. patents: the Tulip Antenna with Tuning Stub, widely deployed across government agencies and international partners, and a novel Thin Film Metal Detector used to evaluate antenna disruptions caused by metallic films. She also oversaw the construction and development of the Hemispherical Near Field Range (HNFR) facility, a state-of-the-art U.S. Government resource for measurement of vehicle mounted antennas, where she created and implemented a MATLAB toolkit for Near-to-Far Field algorithms, which supports the HNFR antenna characterization.
Buxton received the 2023 Virginia Tech Bradley Academy of Distinguished Alumni Extraordinary Impact Award and was the first FBI employee awarded the prestigious Director of National Intelligence Fellowship. She remains an active mentor and advocate for women in engineering, frequently engaging with students through STEM outreach, career days and leadership in the Society of Women Engineers. She has also served as a youth soccer coach, a position in which she is uniquely qualified after being a member of the first UK women's soccer team, establishing an NCAA Division I program.
Buxton, the daughter of retired UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment professor Jack W. Buxton, remains connected to her alma mater through her service on the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Advisory Board. Her legacy was carried on by her daughter Gwynne, who also graduated from UK with a degree in electrical engineering in 2023.
