Richard Muller, most recently head of the Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator, has been appointed director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.
He succeeds the retiring Catherine Marsh, who has served the Intelligence Community for over two decades, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Wednesday.
Before taking on the role of IARPA director, Marsh was chief scientist within the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said she looks forward to working with Muller to address some of the toughest challenges facing the Intelligence Community.
Muller‘s “credentials are rooted in science, academia, and leadership — all of which uniquely empower him to oversee technological innovation and scientific discovery for the IC,” added Haines, a 2024 Wash100 awardee.
Muller previously served as senior manager of the advanced microsystems group at Sandia National Laboratories, where he also led quantum initiatives and computational materials and data science.
He helped advance computational capabilities for national security as part of the Joint Program Office for the National Strategic Computing Initiative and spent six years at the California Institute of Technology as director of quantum simulations technology.