Bio

Dr. Matt Turek is an accomplished research leader with a demonstrated track record of fostering collaboration, spearheading cutting-edge research initiatives, and delivering impactful results with both societal and business significance. He brings a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, effective communication, and proven leadership, honed through years of experience in government and industry. 

Dr. Turek currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Information Innovation Office (I2O), where he co-leads a dynamic research organization with a $500M+ annual research portfolio focused on cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence, information and cyber operations, and secure and resilient software systems. In this role, he provides strategic direction and mentorship to 25 Program Managers, overseeing a large portfolio of complex, multi-institutional research programs aimed at delivering future capabilities for national security. A champion of international collaboration and technical diplomacy, he led DARPA's first multi-lateral research agreement between the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Dr. Turek also plays a key role in shaping national security policy by providing expert technical guidance to senior leaders across the Executive Branch, Congress, and U.S. allied nations. He regularly engages with academia, industry, and prominent policy institutes, representing the U.S. government, on and off-the-record, including with top-tier journalists and media outlets to discuss complex technical topics.

Prior to assuming his DARPA leadership role, Dr. Turek served as a Program Manager in I2O from 2018-2022, where he conceived, developed, and transitioned impactful programs in AI, machine learning, information operations, media authentication, and decision-making, totaling over $300M in investments. His work ranged from basic research projects like In the Moment, Machine Common Sense, and Reverse Engineering of Deceptions to applied research programs such as Explainable AI, Media Forensics, and Semantic Forensics (SemaFor). The SemaFor program, created and led by Dr. Turek, brought together academics, journalists, and researchers to develop tools for detecting and characterizing falsified media, resulting in transformative capabilities for the U.S. government and laying the groundwork for commercial investment.

Before entering public service at DARPA, Dr. Turek held notable leadership positions in private industry. As the Director of Computer Vision at Kitware, Inc., he oversaw a multi-location computer vision team and made significant contributions to DARPA and Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) efforts, transitioning large scale systems for operational use. At GE Global Research, his work focused on medical imaging and industrial inspection. There, he led a high-visibility, successful international collaboration to develop patient stratification tools for drug trials. 

Dr. Turek holds a Doctor of Philosophy in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Marquette University, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Clarkson University. He is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to AI, media forensics, and national security, with recent presentations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), South by Southwest (SXSW), the Content Authenticity Initiative Symposium, DEFCON, Axios, and the IEEE Conference on Secure and Trustworthy Machine Learning.