Lincoln Laboratory leadership transition

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to share the news that Dr. Eric Evans has decided to step down as director of MIT Lincoln Laboratory on July 1, 2024. On that date, Eric will have served in this role for 18 years, and I am pleased to say that he will remain at MIT.

Next steps for Eric

Eric will transition to the role of director’s office fellow at Lincoln Laboratory and have a joint appointment on the MIT campus as a senior fellow in the Security Studies Program. At Lincoln Laboratory, he will continue to lead and support national-level studies covering current and future defense system and technology needs, while developing and teaching courses related to technology for national security, on campus and within the defense community. In his campus role, he will support the ongoing growth of collaborative research and development (R&D) between Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT campus, including in areas related to climate change, and he will contribute to exploring advanced technology applications within the Security Studies Program.

A wide-ranging record of accomplishment

As a federally funded R&D center managed by MIT for the US Department of Defense, Lincoln Laboratory advances exploratory and applied research toward critical applications in national security, communications, air traffic management, astronomy, and weather sensing, as well as international humanitarian efforts. Many technologies that emerge from Lincoln Laboratory are also adopted into industrial and commercial use.

Under Eric’s leadership, Lincoln Laboratory has continually evolved to meet emerging challenges in national and global security, establishing new R&D mission areas in cybersecurity, homeland protection, and biotechnology. The Laboratory also created new programs in areas including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate change technology, quantum information science, and energy system resilience.

Collaborations between the MIT campus and Lincoln Laboratory have increased significantly during Eric’s tenure – in part through the development of Beaver Works, the Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator, and the MIT Center for Quantum Engineering, each of which fosters vibrant intellectual exchange among faculty, research staff, and students.

Within the Laboratory, Eric has placed a high value on sustaining an inclusive culture that attracts and retains top research talent. The Laboratory has also established programs for facilities modernization, which include the current construction of a large microelectronics laboratory and the planned construction of an advanced prototyping laboratory.

You can read more about Eric's accomplishments on MIT News.

The search for a successor

I will shortly appoint a search committee to advise me on the selection of the next director of Lincoln Laboratory. The committee will be chaired by Professor and Media Lab Director Dava Newman. I welcome your input and ideas regarding the best candidates for this role, and I hope you will let me know by email to directorllsearch@mit.edu. Your input will be treated as confidential.

Sincerely,

Maria T. Zuber
Vice President for Research