Dr. Catherine Cotell is IARPA’s deputy director for research. In this role, she leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists managing research and development programs. Dr. Cotell’s career, which began at AT&T Bell Laboratories, has been dedicated to delivering innovative, technology-based solutions to both the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense. From 2016 – 2019, she was a senior advisor to the director of research at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
From 2014 – 2016, she headed the Office of Incisive Analysis at IARPA, where she oversaw a portfolio of research projects in data analytics including text, image, video, speech, and remotely sensed data. She has held leadership roles at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Noblis, and was vice president at In-Q-Tel from 2003 – 2010. She launched IQT’s university outreach program and managed their largest technology practice focused on data analytics.
Dr. Cotell was issued seminal patents in the field of laser deposition of biocompatible coatings for medical implants. She holds doctorate and master’s degrees from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s in chemistry and mathematics from Wellesley College. She is the winner of the ODNI S&T Professional Individual Award.