Keith Whitener
Program Manager
Defense Sciences Office
Dr. Keith Whitener joined DARPA as a program manager in the Defense Sciences Office in September 2023. His interests include catalysis, photochemistry and spectroscopy, and the chemistry and physics of novel classes of materials. These include nanomaterials, active matter, 2D materials, and their applications to energy, logistics, sensing, and health. Keith comes to DARPA from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), where he was a staff scientist in the Surface Nanoscience and Sensor Technology Section leading research programs on biomimetic materials for force health protection as well as the integration of nanomaterials with biological systems. Prior to this, Keith was a National Research Council postdoctoral research associate at NRL studying the chemical modification of graphene and its application to electronics, spintronics, and surface engineering. He also performed postdoctoral work in polymer synthesis and catalysis at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Keith received his doctorate in chemical physics from Yale University and Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.