Eric Evans will step down as director MIT Lincoln Laboratory on July 1, 2024, after 18 years at the helm of a laboratory that has served the nation through technological research and development since 1951.
Evans will transition to the role of associate in the director’s office at Lincoln Laboratory. He will also hold an appointment on the MIT campus as a senior fellow in the Security Studies Program. It will support the continued growth of collaborative research and development between Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT campus, including in areas related to climate change as well as the exploration of advanced technology applications within the Security Studies Program.
The transition will mark the end of a successful tenure in which Evans led the lab to adapt and strengthen during a period of significant change for national security needs. He has also served as a key technology strategy advisor to senior government leaders.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead MIT Lincoln Laboratory,” says Evans. “I really appreciate what our lab community has done over many years to develop some of the nation’s most important and challenging technical advances.”
Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center that focuses on technology development, systems prototyping, and the transition of capabilities to government, commercial companies, and industry.
Under Evans’ leadership, the lab established new research and development mission areas in cybersecurity, homeland security, and biotechnology, and launched new programs in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate change technology, quantum information science, and resilience of energy systems. Evans also strengthened ties with the MIT research community, increased diversity and inclusion efforts, advanced STEM education initiatives, and developed new models of technology transfer to small and medium-sized commercial companies.
Evans was also a member and vice chairman and is now chairman of the Defense Science Board (DSB). The DSB investigates the science and technology needs of the US Department of Defense and strives to solve outstanding unstructured problems and develop new opportunities for the nation’s defense.
“During his two decades of service at Lincoln Laboratory, Eric’s leadership has demonstrated what an ambitious R&D laboratory and a large institute can achieve: transformative improvements in the systems that keep the world safe and lasting impact on the practice of innovation itself . says Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research. “Eric has been ahead of the curve in recognizing the global impact of emerging technology areas and has been a trusted advisor on science and technology strategy. The culture of excellence, collaboration, and creativity that Eric has maintained at Lincoln Laboratory ensures its future success. I am grateful for his service and grateful that he will remain at MIT in his new roles.”
Zuber announced Evans’ decision in a letter to faculty and staff today. He will appoint a search committee to advise on the selection of the next director of the laboratory.
A career in service
Evans started at Lincoln Laboratory in 1988 as a technical staff member. After being appointed director of Lincoln Laboratory in 2006, he immediately began working with laboratory leaders and staff to develop new mission areas and programs based on national needs. He worked with many in the lab to establish a large homeland security mission area to build sensors and data integration systems to support the needs of the Department of Homeland Security. Under Evans’ leadership, the lab developed new homeland air defense capabilities and chemical and biological sensor systems to defend against advanced threats.
Later, the lab created a cyber security mission area to address the dynamic threats posed by cyber attacks. Through several new programs, Lincoln Laboratory researchers have developed technology to help protect defense and civilian networks in cyberspace and to improve the cyber resilience of hardware and software for new computing systems.
The lab also initiated major new work in biotechnology and human systems to develop advanced systems for monitoring health status and assisting in injury recovery for the Army and other donors. During Pandemic covid-19, Evans led the lab to rapidly apply its biotechnological resources to the problems of medical resource allocation, health monitoring, automatic contact tracing, and viral dispersal analysis. Many of these technologies continue to improve and move into new applications.
Leveraging large defense investments for airborne terrain mapping sensors and communications networks, the lab created new programs to humanitarian aid and disaster reliefincluding rapid responses to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.
Evans has also focused on expanding other programs to address political needs. For example, new aircraft collision avoidance and weather avoidance technology developed with FAA funding has improved flight safety worldwide.
NASA-sponsored programs have also benefited from Lincoln Laboratory initiatives. A major milestone was reached in 2013 with its first two-way demonstration broadband laser communication between the moon and the earth. This innovation opened up new possibilities for NASA, which plans to use the technology to transmit data over interplanetary distances.
“Eric is a talented and impressive leader who has taken advances in innovation and research beyond the boundaries of the laboratory, to the service of the world,” says MIT Professor Cynthia Barnhart.
Stronger ties to MIT
Over the past 15 years, the number of Lincoln Laboratory research collaborations with the MIT campus has nearly quadrupled. The lab has expanded the collaboration by providing funding for campus research, making many of its facilities available to campus researchers, supporting undergraduate and graduate teaching, and posing new research questions.
As part of this collaboration, Lincoln Laboratory partnered with the MIT School of Engineering in 2013 to create the Beaver Works Center at MIT. The facility enables collaborative prototyping and technology development by MIT researchers and Lincoln Laboratory technical staff.
More recently, Lincoln Laboratory partnered with the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics to create it Center for Quantum Mechanics to develop new technologies for quantum computing, sensing and communication. Lincoln Laboratory also contributes to Department of the Air Force – MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator program.
A prominent example of research collaboration was the launch of the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2018. Lincoln Laboratory worked closely with the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research to develop the highly sensitive cameras on TESS, which since launch it has discovered many new planets orbiting distant stars.
Strive for an inclusive culture and community service
Throughout his tenure, Evans also took steps to strengthen the lab’s culture to be more inclusive and supportive, significantly increasing the percentage of women and people of color in technical and leadership roles. He established an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, appointed a chief diversity and inclusion officer and strengthened the Human Resources Department to improve staff recruitment, development and retention.
To support the national need for more diverse talent, Evans served for six years as chairman of its board of directors. National GEM Consortium, an organization that provides scholarships to underrepresented minorities pursuing graduate studies in STEM fields. Through the efforts of many GEM volunteers and staff, the number of GEM scholarships increased significantly during Evans’ tenure at the helm of the board. “I deeply appreciated being involved in this program supporting a critical need,” says Evans. “The GEM mission is excellent, and Lincoln Laboratory has benefited greatly from their support and excellent GEM Fellows we’ve hired.”
Evans has also strongly advocated for the creation of several programs to promote K-12 students’ interest in STEM fields. The lab’s STEM outreach programs have reached more than 100,000 students across the country, with nearly 8,000 students annually participating in programs that include building radars, designing small satellites, building autonomous model cars and developing new encryption algorithms.
Positioned for future success
Moving forward, Evans has positioned Lincoln Laboratory to continue to evolve its mission. The laboratory is currently pursuing research in emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and quantum systems, and is making significant investments in new facilities and specialized laboratories.
As part of modernizing its facilities, the lab recently broke ground on a major $300 million microelectronics lab to develop new sensing and computing technology. A second $300 million Department of Defense investment is for an engineering prototype facility that will begin construction in 2026. Several other new research and development facilities are planned through a long-term facility modernization plan supported by the Department of Defense. “These investments in facilities will allow the laboratory to remain a strong center for the development of revolutionary technology for decades to come,” says Evans.
After stepping down as director, Evans will continue to work with the defense community to support studies of current and future defense system and technology needs. He will also develop and teach courses on technology for national security.
“The MIT Lincoln Lab is a special place, and I have really enjoyed the leadership and learning experiences. I am very proud of the significant impact our creative leaders and staff have had on national security and society over many years,” says Evans.