CRDF Global Appoints Chris Fall to Board of Directors

New Board Member Introduction

CRDF Global is pleased to welcome Dr. Chris Fall, current Vice President for Applied Science at MITRE, as the newest member of its Board of Directors.

“Chris’s background in the interconnected domains of science, technology and energy and his experience with managing the emerging opportunities, threats, and strategies associated with these fields brings enormous insight and value to our board,” said CRDF Global CEO Mike Dignam. “His technical expertise, international leadership experience and alignment with our vision will serve as a powerful asset as CRDF Global advances our solutions at the nexus of global security and development. I look forward to working with him and leveraging his expertise – particularly his insights from his work in the Indo-Pacific region – as we integrate increasingly technical and globally managed solutions into our portfolio.”

As the Vice President for Applied Sciences at MITRE, Fall is responsible for leading research and development in emerging technology domains and for overseeing five MITRE Labs innovation centers spanning life, physical, and health sciences; transportation; economics; acquisition; and enterprise strategy.

Before joining MITRE in 2021, Fall served as the Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and then as the Senate Confirmed Director of the Office of Science, which is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. In this role he was responsible for the majority of the Department of Energy national laboratories and played a key part in the department’s investments in quantum science, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence.

Prior to his tenure at the Department of Energy, Fall served in several senior management roles at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), including acting chief scientist, over the course of seven years. While on detail from ONR, Fall served for three years across two administrations in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as assistant director for defense programs and then as acting lead for the National Security and International Affairs Division.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve witnessed the impact of CRDF Global’s missions worldwide and its vision in action,” said Fall. “I’m honored to support the CRDF Global team and look forward to shaping opportunities to collaborate through science to create a more healthy, safe and sustainable world.”

In addition to his government service, Fall spent more than two decades in academia, where his research focused on neuroscience, systems biology, and bioengineering. He has been a faculty member or postdoctoral scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Georgetown University, New York University, the University of California at Davis, and the University of Virginia.

In addition to his new role on CRDF Global’s board, Fall serves in advisory or board roles with the Sanford Underground Research Facility Foundation and the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the Japan Society, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Council on Strategic Risks. Fall earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.