I’m writing today from Boston, having just wrapped up a week at the annual DARPA ISAT retreat at Woods Hole. It was really an exciting week, with lot of people working hard to imagine the future of computing technology and, in some select cases, turn those dreams into plans for how to make them real.
However, the purpose of this blog entry isn’t to talk about the ISAT meeting. The big news (at least for me) is that today wraps up my first official week as an office director at DARPA. If you are reading this (and you aren’t already at DARPA or CMU), it’s possible that this strikes you as surprising news. But it’s true. I’ve agreed to go to DARPA for two years.
This was an extremely difficult decision for me. For me, being the Head of the Computer Science Department at CMU is incredibly fulfilling and, well, fun. I also know, through my extensive travels and interactions in the computing community around the world, that CMU Computer Science is really on a roll. My personal assessment is that CMU CS is doing the highest-quality, highest-impact, and most innovative computing research and education in the world. While that is only my personal (but expert ;-) opinion, what I think is undeniable is that no other computing institute in the US has as much forward momentum right now.
So why would I go to DARPA, especially now? Why would I give up my chance to have that plum department head’s office in our fabulous, shiny new Gates and Hillman Centers? And why would I take a leave of absence, even if only for a two-year stint, during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of our department and the university?
Of course, I consulted with many people for advice, including not only colleagues but also my family. I know Regina Dugan, the new DARPA Director, well. I truly admire and have always worked well with her. I consider her a friend. I also know key members of DARPA’s management team and can see that I have an important role to fill, perhaps one that I am uniquely capable of filling, and that this would benefit not only the academic community but also our nation. Of course, it is also critically important that DARPA is now very, very serious about re-engaging with university researchers; my appointment as an Office Director is just one demonstration of this.
I feel it a great honor to be asked to join this highly select team. I will be creating a brand-new office at DARPA, details of which will become public in due course. I am completely committed to helping DARPA gain some balance in its research portfolio by focusing more resources on long-term research problems and beyond-the-horizon technologies and relying heavily on communities outside of the DoD community. So, I think you’ll eventually see how these fit into the plans for the new office. I am completely convinced that a truly major impact is possible in a re-envisioned DARPA and that I have a chance to play an important role, perhaps even a crucial one.
The CMU CS Department is working on the transition from me to a new department head. Randy Bryant, the Dean of the School of Computer Science, has a great track record in choosing department heads and the department has a strong “bench” of dynamic senior leaders. Sure, there might be difficulties, and of course CMU CS is being asked to sacrifice a lot here; after all, Jeannette Wing was pulled into national service halfway through her headship, too. But the fact that CMU CS is consistently producing national-level leaders says something significant about the institution. This is something that we should all be proud of, and on top of that have faith that this will keep us in good stead in the coming years. The fact that Jeannette is running CS at NSF and I will be an OD at DARPA is a strong sign of just how good we are.
Now, there are a few additional fallouts from this transition. I have had to resign from DARPA ISAT, where I have been the vice-chair. (In fact, on Monday I was ceremoniously “fired”.) I will be resigning this coming week from the CRA Board of Directors, where I am the chair, and from the CCC, where I have been a member since its inception. And, what happens to this blog is not known at this point, but the most likely outcome will be that I will have to put it aside for the time being.
If I am unable to continue blogging, I’ll be seeking other outlets to keep connected with the larger community; part of my mission at DARPA is to help the new director instill a strong early-adopter, bleeding-edge culture, and of course blogging and social networking are a part of that.
I’ve appreciated all the moral support and encouragement many of you have given me. The tasks we all face in the next couple of years are enormous, and so working together is more important than ever.
Peter Lee @ August 22, 2009