In posting the news Kathleen shared: I’m honoured to be joining ARIA as its next CEO.
Throughout my career – from AT&T Labs to DARPA to RAND – I’ve been drawn to institutions that take intelligent risks on research that could fundamentally change what’s possible. ARIA represents something unique: an agency designed not just to fund brilliant science, but to ensure that science creates real value for people’s lives.
The foundations Ilan and the team have built are extraordinary: world-class Programme Directors pursuing genuinely transformative ideas, programmes spanning from brain-computer interfaces to synthetic biology to AI safety, a culture that celebrates ambitious bets and tolerates failure.
My focus will be on translating the impact of breakthrough science, building the processes, partnerships, and pathways that ensure ARIA’s work transforms industries, lives, and communities.
This focus means defending ARIA’s mandate to take risks, codifying active management practices that give ambitious programmes the time they need, and demonstrating why these practices matter. Because scientific miracles don’t just solve problems – they restore hope in what’s possible.
I’ve seen the ARPA model work at its best, and I believe ARIA’s design positions it to be one of the most impactful research agencies in the world. The UK has extraordinary strengths: scientific excellence, entrepreneurial creativity, and global networks. ARIA can be the catalyst that amplifies these resources into world-changing outcomes.
The coming decade will define whether breakthrough R&D becomes a competitive advantage for the UK or a missed opportunity. I’m excited to work alongside ARIA’s incredible team to ensure the UK fully seizes that advantage.
