Breakthrough discoveries start with bold questions.
Our Innovation Fellowship offers early-career scientists and active-duty service members the chance to pursue the answers.
Fellows serve for two years, developing and managing topics funded under our Advanced Research Concepts initiative. During the topic ideation process, Fellows work with program managers and other DARPA experts who serve as internal sounding boards. They engage closely with research performers to probe existing paradigms, question technological barriers, and push the state of the art through the science and technology efforts they manage.
What’s it like to be an Innovation Fellow?
Hear from four early-career scientists who accepted the challenge.
Why apply?
An Innovation Fellowship is a crash course in DARPA's active portfolio management for science and technology development.
Fellows push the limits of existing technology. They lead the rapid exploration of promising new ideas. They tackle high-risk/high-reward questions and assess the potential impacts of further investment.
During their tenure, Fellows make extensive connections across an extraordinarily rich, technology-focused network. This includes DARPA program managers and research performers from leading universities, commercial firms, and non-profit R&D organizations.
For early-career civilians, the Innovation Fellowship offers valuable experience while maintaining the technical edge required to succeed in academia and other cutting-edge research labs. For military officers, it builds a strong understanding of the R&D community tasked with empowering our troops with the advantage of technological surprise, and it enables them to advocate for the needs of the services.
Eligibility and qualifications
The Innovation Fellowship is open to recent Ph.D. graduates (within five years of receiving a doctorate) and active-duty military with STEM degrees and five to ten years of operational experience. In exceptional cases, we also consider bachelor’s or master’s level candidates in STEM programs.
Active-duty applicants should seek approval from their chain-of-command prior to applying. Upon acceptance into the program, we will work with applicants and their officer community managers to obtain orders.
Our ideal candidate has a strong technical background in their field, can think critically and creatively about big-picture challenges in science and technology innovation, and has aptitude for new scientific fields. Successful candidates also demonstrate excellent communication, teamwork, and scientific/technical writing skills.
The Innovation Fellowship is a salaried position. Fellows must be U.S. citizens and are expected to work at DARPA in Arlington, Virginia. Military participants remain on active duty.
Application process
Aspiring Fellows should prepare a cover letter and CV or resume.
If your application matches our needs, we will reach out to schedule a meeting with a member of the fellowship program to determine next steps.
Meet our current Fellows
- Christopher D. Absil
Dr. Christopher D. Absil joined DARPA in July 2024. He served in the United States Marine Corps for four years prior to attending the University of Delaware, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry with an environmental chemistry concentration. He earned his doctorate from Temple University with support from the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. His graduate work focused on applications of coordination chemistry for exploring Photosystem II structural mimics for water splitting and synthesizing safer burn rate modifiers. - Allegra A. Beal Cohen
Dr. Allegra A. Beal Cohen joined DARPA in January 2023. Prior to joining DARPA, Beal Cohen was a DARPA I2O postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida. She worked on the Habitus program, modeling agricultural value chains, conducting qualitative interviews with domain experts, and building a tool for partially automating knowledge engineering. She was selected as a DARPA Early Riser for her work on knowledge engineering. Beal Cohen earned her doctorate degree from the University of Florida as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, where she modeled intra-household bargaining and social norms in agriculture. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in symbolic systems from Stanford University. - Kevin Beaver
Dr. Kevin Beaver joined DARPA in January 2024. He graduated from Lebanon Valley College with Bachelor of Science degrees in environmental science and biochemistry. He obtained his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Utah with his dissertation research spanning microbial electrochemistry from sustainable bioremediation of organic wastes to biosynthesis of green materials. Particularly interested in extremophiles, Beaver was previously an F.M. Becket Fellow of The Electrochemical Society for his work with salt-tolerant microorganisms, including a novel species isolated from the Great Salt Lake. - Rebecca Chmiel
Dr. Rebecca Chmiel joined DARPA in January 2023. She received her Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and environmental studies from Colby College and her doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in marine biogeochemistry. Her research focused on the interactions between trace metal nutrients and marine phytoplankton. She has participated in four ocean research expeditions totaling over seven months at sea and received the Antarctica Service Medal as part of her oceanographic fieldwork. - James Ferlez
Dr. James Ferlez joined DARPA in January 2024. Ferlez received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland College Park. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Irvine, in the Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems Lab. His graduate work considered novel mathematical modelling frameworks for cyber-physical systems, with a particular emphasis on formal verification. His postdoctoral research considered various aspects of assuring autonomous systems that contain learned neural network components. - Lt. Col. John Fischer, USMC
Lt. Col. John Fischer joined DARPA in August 2024. His primary specialty is as an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot with over 15 years of Marine Corps service. He holds a Bachelor of Science in information technology and a minor in Chinese (Mandarin) with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master of Science in computer and information technology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in computer science from the Naval Postgraduate School. His dissertation research focused on leveraging Bayesian deep learning, active learning, and federated learning to enable remote sensing platforms to collaboratively learn in situ without access to human experts. Lt. Col. Fischer’s professional experience includes over 1,700 flight hours in the AH-1W and AH-1Z, serving as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) instructor and instructor pilot at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS-1), and managing the Marine Corps’ Forward Air Controller (Airborne) program. - Evan Gorman
Dr. Evan Gorman joined DARPA in July 2024. He received his Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the Pennsylvania State University and his doctorate in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado Boulder. His dissertation research developed mathematical tools to efficiently represent high-dimensional biological data, with the goal of creating scientifically interpretable machine learning models. - MAJ Nikesh Kapadia, USA
Maj. Nikesh Kapadia joined DARPA in August 2024. He is an Army Operations Research/Systems Analysis Officer and former Military Intelligence Officer. Through his fifteen years in the Army, he supported tactical and operational organizations in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and the National Capital Region. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy and a Master of Science in systems engineering from the University of Virginia. His graduate work focused on the use of reinforcement learning to foster trust and collaboration among multi-agent systems. - Alissa Ling
Dr. Alissa Ling joined DARPA in January 2024. She received her Bachelor of Arts in applied math and physics from Washington University in St. Louis. She interned at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab developing image motion algorithms for a visual prosthetic. She received her doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University focusing on neural prosthetics and the brain control of healthy, naturalistic locomotion. - Max Olender
Dr. Max Olender joined DARPA in July 2024. He received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in mechanical and biomedical engineering, respectively, from the University of Michigan, and completed his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral and postdoctoral research addressed cardiovascular biomechanics using image-based computational modeling. Olender subsequently served as a Biophysical Society/American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, advancing legislative and oversight efforts in health innovation, regulation, and public health. He also served as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director, developing and supporting programs and initiatives for small businesses and entrepreneurs converting scientific breakthroughs into healthcare solutions. - Samantha Peters
Dr. Samantha Peters jointed DARPA in January 2024. Prior to joining DARPA, Peters was a postdoctoral researcher in the Integrative Microbiomics Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where she studied the development and application of novel functional genomics approaches to analyze multi-kingdom interactions and dynamics in diverse environments. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology at South Dakota State University and a doctorate from the Genome Science and Technology program at the University of Tennessee. Her dissertation work was conducted in the Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry group at ORNL and focused on the implementation of mass spectrometry-based metaproteomics approaches to study the functionality of the human gut microbiome. Prior to her doctoral work, she was a research associate in the Discovery Sciences Division at SomaLogic, Inc. (Boulder, Colorado), where she designed and characterized aptamers to facilitate disease biomarker discovery and validation. - Alex Place
Dr. Alex Place joined DARPA in January 2023. He received his Bachelor of Science in physics from the California Institute of Technology and his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering and materials science from Princeton University. His dissertation focused on improving the lifetimes of superconducting qubits, the building block of many industrial quantum computing efforts. He has also spent time developing nanoelectromechanical systems, novel solar cell designs, and medical devices. - LCDR Krishnan Rajagopalan, USN
Lt. Cmdr. Krishnan (Krish) Rajagopalan joined DARPA in March 2023. As a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officer, he has led units of unmanned underwater vehicle operators and EOD divers tasked with countering explosive hazards underwater. He also served as a requirements officer on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations and, most recently, as the operations officer at Expeditionary Exploitation Unit ONE (EXU-1). Rajagopalan is a qualified EOD Technician and Navy Diving Officer. He received a Bachelor of Science in operations research from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science in operations research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was an MIT Lincoln Laboratory Military Fellow. - Graham H. Reid
Dr. Graham Reid joined DARPA in June 2023. Reid received a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Kenyon College and a doctorate from University of Maryland, College Park. His dissertation research, conducted at NIST as a guest researcher through the Joint Quantum Institute, used ultracold atoms to study topological physics in dynamically evolving quantum systems. - Sayan Roy
Dr. Sayan Roy joined DARPA in July 2024. He received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, as well as his Master of Science and doctorate in electrical and computer engineering, from Purdue University. His doctoral dissertation investigated novel 2D materials and hybrid nanostructures for nanoscale electronic, photonic, and photovoltaic applications. After his doctorate, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University working on transition metal di-chalcogenides (TMDs) for radiation-resistant electronics and superconductivity applications. - Emily Sherman
Dr. Emily Sherman joined DARPA in January 2024. She received her Bachelor of Arts in cognitive science from Barnard College, Columbia University and her doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Cambridge. As an undergraduate, she was a researcher at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute investigating intergenerational epigenetic inheritance, and her graduate work at Cambridge focused on the mechanisms underlying the transmission of social fear. - Eric Wu
Dr. Eric Wu joined DARPA in July 2024. He received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and his doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. His dissertation focused on understanding retinal coding of natural scenes using image modeling techniques. He also previously contributed to projects on wearable sweat sensors and extreme environment microelectromechanical systems. - René KM. Xavier
Dr. René Xavier joined DARPA in June 2023. Xavier graduated from Florida Atlantic University, where she conducted research at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute using shotgun metagenomics to analyze the biosynthesis of marine natural products. She received her Bachelor of Science in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of Washington in Seattle and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study the regulation of reactive oxygen species at the Czech Institute of Experimental Botany in Prague. Prior to her academic career, she served as a nuclear electrician in the U.S. Navy, where she was decorated with multiple honors including the Humanitarian Ribbon for her relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina. - Alessandra M. Zito
Dr. Alessandra (Allie) Zito joined DARPA in June 2023. Zito received her Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and French language and literature from Johns Hopkins University and her doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. Her graduate work focused on synthesizing and characterizing redox-active organic and inorganic molecules to be used for electrochemical carbon dioxide capture and concentration. She also has research experience in investigating catalyst loading on carbon aerogels, homogeneous and heterogeneous CO2 reduction catalysis, and electrode design for supercapacitors.
FAQs
- How many Innovation Fellows are there?
We have up to 40 Innovation Fellows at any given time. Cohorts start every six months, with up to eight civilians and two military Fellows per class. - How often are Fellows hired?
Applications are accepted year-round. Interviews and hiring occurs throughout the year on a rolling basis. - Why would an active-duty officer become an Innovation Fellow?
Military officers can provide useful perspective on operational challenges and opportunities. In return, they benefit from greater understanding of the science and technology base that supports national security. This experience will inform and enhance their ability to lead, serve, and advocate for the importance of battlefield innovation. - Do Fellows conduct research?
Innovation Fellows do not directly perform research. Rather, they apply research skills to identify critical technological barriers and craft precise research questions to be answered in their fields of interest.
Fellows help initiate and develop new topics to be funded under our Advanced Research Concepts (ARC) initiative. They evaluate and recommend ARC topic proposals, manage funded projects, and document the resulting innovations and lessons learned. - Are Fellows limited to working on topics in their fields?
No. Fellows are encouraged to question barriers to science and technology advancement within their fields of expertise and interest, as well as those in other fields. This enables and encourages Fellows to cultivate a broad understanding of scientific fields beyond their particular field of expertise. - What benefits do Fellows receive?
As full-time employees of the federal government, Innovation Fellows receive the same benefits as other government workers. This includes healthcare (health, vision, dental insurance), life insurance, paid time off (annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays), retirement savings and investment plan with agency match (similar to a 401k), commuter subsidy, TSA Pre-check, and career management resources. - Can Fellows work remote?
Fellows are expected to work in-person at DARPA in Arlington, Virginia, and are not eligible to be remote workers. How can I learn more?
Use our contact form to send questions to the Innovation Fellowship team or request a phone or video call with a team member or current Fellow.