Dr. Robert Popp: President & CEO

Dr. Robert Popp is Founder, President and CEO of NSI, Inc., a small business composed of a premier group of nationally-recognized scientists, methodologists and analysts that specializes in providing innovative social science solutions to complex problems for clients predominantly in the defense, intelligence and national security realm. Prior to NSI, Dr. Popp served for five years as a senior government executive within the DoD: one year at OSD as Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts where he oversaw a portfolio of Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) programs focused on information assurance, multi-level security, C4ISR and homeland security; and four years at DARPA as Deputy of the Information Exploitation Office (IXO) and Information Awareness Office (IAO). At DARPA/IAO, Dr. Popp oversaw a portfolio of R&D programs focused on information technology solutions for counter-terrorism and foreign intelligence, including serving as the Program Manager for the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program. At DARPA/IXO, Dr. Popp established a novel R&D thrust focused on applying quantitative and computational social science models and methods to do root cause analysis of instability and conflict within weak and failing states. Dr. Popp has served on the Defense Science Board, Army Science Board, and is a Senior Associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Dr. Popp has held senior positions with several defense primes, including BBN, Aptima and ALPHATECH - now BAE. Dr. Popp holds two patents, has published many scholarly papers, and is Editor of Emergent Information Technologies and Enabling Policies for Counter-Terrorism published in 2006 by Wiley-IEEE Press. Dr. Popp holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, and a BA/MA in Computer Science (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Boston University. Dr. Popp served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force in the 1980s as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician of F106 fighters and B52 bombers.