COLLEGE PARK, Md – Dr. Adele Merritt has been named the new Chief Research Officer of the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), one of 15 designated Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) in the U.S., and the only UARC dedicated to intelligence and national security.
Dr. Merritt brings more than 25 years of experience in national security, cybersecurity, intelligence, and technology leadership. She most recently served as the Chief Information Officer at the National Institutes of Health, overseeing a $1.9 billion IT portfolio supporting scientific research, infrastructure, and high-performance computing.
Prior to that, she was the Intelligence Community CIO, where she led modernization and cybersecurity efforts across the IC’s information technology systems. Her record spans the NSA, FBI, Department of Energy, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
She is an advocate for STEM education and public-private partnerships that drive innovation and resilience against evolving threats.
As Chief Research Officer, Dr. Merritt will lead strategic scientific and technical initiatives across ARLIS’s mission areas. Her leadership will be instrumental in elevating research impact, strengthening external partnerships, and ensuring ARLIS is progressing in applied national security science.
This reflects not only ARLIS’s growth and national relevance, but its commitment to recruiting talent to meet the demands of government sponsors and mission partners.
Established in 2018 and located in UMD’s Discovery District, ARLIS serves as a trusted advisor to the federal government, tackling complex problems related to intelligence and national security. Last month, the University of Maryland received a contract with a $500 million ceiling from the Department of Defense to support ARLIS and its human-centered intelligence and security research, the largest research contract in UMD’s history.
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ABOUT THE APPLIED RESEARCH LABORATORY FOR INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY
The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), based at the University of Maryland, was established in 2018 under the sponsorship of the U.S. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, intended as a long-term strategic asset for research and development in artificial intelligence, information engineering, and human systems. ARLIS combines expertise, research, and development in human behavior, social science, culture, and language with emerging and advanced technologies. This enables development of problem-focused, evidence-based solutions for security and intelligence challenges that can be operationalized quickly and at scale. Learn more at arlis.umd.edu.