Dr. Jaret C. Riddick is a leading authority on autonomous systems and artificial intelligence with nearly two decades of experience shaping defense technology strategy at the highest levels of the U.S. government. He formerly served as the Principal Director for Autonomy in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, where he was the Pentagon’s senior official responsible for unifying autonomy research and development across air, land, sea, and space domains.
Prior to that role, Dr. Riddick held executive leadership positions in the Office of the Under Secretary Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology. While an executive at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, he led the establishment of the Robotics Research Collaboration Campus and led strategic initiatives advancing robotic and autonomous systems capabilities. He recently completed a residency as a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), where he focused on the global strategic implications of AI and other emerging technologies.
He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University.