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Robert L. Popp
Deputy Director, Information Awareness Office
Education
Dr. Popp received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in computer science (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, distinction) from
Boston University, and his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Connecticut.
Professional Background
Background Information
Dr. Popp has broad knowledge and expertise in military systems, IT, and a technical foundation that spans acoustic and radar
signal processing, multi-sensor multi-target tracking, sensor data fusion, systems and software engineering, computer
networking and data communications, security, parallel and distributed computing, and hardware design.
DARPA Information Awareness Office, Deputy Director
Dr. Popp is responsible for assisting the IAO Director in the oversight of programs and monitors the capabilities of existing
and proposed information systems in the problem domains of the office to meet enhanced future threats and to identify and
exploit advanced technologies offering potential solutions to deficiencies. Other responsibilities include assisting in the
management of over $200 million of DoD RDT&E funds annually; oversight and analysis of solicited and unsolicited
proposals submitted by other government agencies, private industry, and academia; and guidance to program managers in the
translation of technical proposals into workable financial and management plans.
OSD (AT&L), Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Advanced Systems & Concepts
Dr. Popp was responsible for the oversight of a portfolio of Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD)
programs totaling over $600M in total value primarily focused on information operations, homeland security, critical
infrastructure protection, security, and C4ISR. He also supported OSD (AT&L) projects to improve joint and coalition
interoperability and to improve the transition of science and technology to acquisition and fielding.
ALPHATECH, Principal Scientist, Program Manager, and Director of Business Development
Dr. Popp managed and oversaw numerous ISR-related R&D and technology transition programs in airborne radar sensor
data fusion and exploitation for situational awareness and precision engagement of ground moving targets.
BBN, Senior Scientist and Program Manager
Dr. Popp managed and oversaw several Navy- and DARPA-sponsored efforts in operational maritime undersea surveillance,
anti-submarine warfare (ASW), network performance monitoring, and automated hardware design using FPGAs, hardware
description languages and genetic programming techniques.
University of Connecticut, Adjunct Professor, Computer Science and Engineering (CS&E) Department
Dr. Popp lectured Computer Networking & Data Communications undergraduate course, emphasizing network protocols and
architecture, LAN/MAN/WAN technologies, routing, internetworks, and UNIX client/server programming. He also lectured
Digital Logic Design undergraduate course, emphasizing fundamentals in Boolean algebra, combinational and sequential
logic, and LSI/MSI integrated circuit (IC) design.
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Visiting Research Scientist, Advanced Concepts Directorate
Dr. Popp developed parallel and distributed algorithms and software for several military/civilian air traffic surveillance
problems. Implementations were in C/C++ and included multi-threaded shared-memory parallelizations for general-purpose
SUN multiprocessors and distributed-memory parallelizations for an Intel Paragon HPC.
Military Service
U.S. Air Force, Griffiss AFB, NY, Staff Sergeant (E-5) / Aircraft Maintenance Technician
Served on active duty in the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and 416th Bomb Wing. Duties included flight-line and
phase-dock aircraft maintenance for F106 fighters and B52 bombers. Honorable Discharge, AF Commendation Medal,
Good Conduct Medal, Longevity Service Ribbon, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship.
Professional Affiliations
Dr. Popp is currently serving as the Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC), as
Chairman of the IEEE SMC Society's Adaptive Computing Systems technical committee, and has chaired numerous IEEE
conference sessions in high performance computing, aerospace systems, and information operations. He has published 3
book chapters, over 60 journal and conference technical papers, and is the holder of two patents.