GRVTY has named Dr. Phil Root as Chief Technology Officer where he will set and drive the company’s technology vision.
“Phil joins GRVTY at a pivotal moment,” said Katie Selbe, GRVTY’s Chief Executive Officer. “His deep technical expertise and proven leadership will be instrumental as we scale our capabilities, strengthen our partnerships, and deliver mission impact for our customers.”
A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and MIT-trained aerospace engineer, Root is a distinguished research and development leader with decades of operational and technical experience. He joined GRVTY from DARPA, where he served as Director of the Strategic Technology Office and previously as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Defense Sciences Office.
“GRVTY is harnessing the best emerging and proven technologies that ultimately deliver more impact for American national security,” said Root. “Alongside our customers and mission partners, we will accelerate innovation, close critical capability gaps, and ensure the United States stays ahead of adversaries in every domain of competition. Our commitment is simple: deliver solutions that strengthen deterrence today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.”
Root has led groundbreaking programs in AI-infused autonomy, counter-UAS, tunneling, and the lunar economy, with operational experience spanning deployments in Afghanistan, support to the NASA Astronaut Office, and an Apache helicopter pilot tour in Germany and South Korea.
In addition to his role as CTO, Root continues to serve on the GRVTY Advisory Board as Managing Advisor.
