Prior to assuming his duties within OSD, Dr. Foster was the Chief Scientist (Medical Systems Integration) for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. He assumed that position from an assignment as a senior staff officer for chemical and biological defense programs in OSD and for the Assistant Secretary of the Army (RDA). From entering government service in 1981 as a research team leader for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense until 1994, he held various positions in that laboratory spanning the spectrum of Principal Research Investigator to Chief of Laboratory Research Programs. From 1979 - 1981 Dr. Foster was a staff research associate in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University Medical Center, arriving in that position from a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Brown University.

Dr. Foster holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology from Duke University and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia. His professional scientific background includes neuroscience (anatomy and neurophysiology), toxicology, and human sensory system psychology with multiple government and peer reviewed publications. He is acquisition level 3 qualified and a graduate of the Program Manager's Course at the Defense Systems Management College. His military experience was as a Regular Army, enlisted Nike Hercules Fire Control Maintenance Technician from 1968 to 1971.