Leadership

Dr. Regina Dugan, Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Appointed by Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, and announced by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Zachary Lemnios, Dr. Regina E. Dugan was sworn in as the 19th director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on July 20, 2009.

Experienced in counterterrorism and defense against explosive threats, Dr. Dugan first served the Nation as a DARPA program manager from 1996 to 2000. She directed a diverse $100 million portfolio of programs including the Dog’s Nose program, which focused on the development of an advanced, field-portable system for detecting the explosive content of land mines. In 1999, Dr. Dugan was named DARPA Program Manager of the Year, and, in 2000, she was awarded the prestigious Bronze deFleury medal by the Army Engineer Regiment. Other recognition includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Exceptional Service and the Award for Outstanding Achievement. More.

Dr. Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel, Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Dr. Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel most recently was the Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Akustica, a semiconductor company commercializing Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors for consumer electronics products. Akustica, based in the United States with a global supply chain and customer base, pioneered the use of digital silicon microphones and shipped more than 5 million units to the PC/notebook industry. Since founding the company in late 2001, his responsibilities focused on managing continued technology innovation, product development, manufacturing, and business execution.

In 2003, Dr. Gabriel was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum at Davos, one of 40 selected worldwide. He is the co-founding Executive Director of the MEMS Industry Group, the principal trade organization representing the MEMS industry globally. Ken is widely regarded as the architect of the MEMS industry. More.