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The Accidental Chemist: Episode 95

July 09, 2026

What new capabilities can we unlock by understanding how to rearrange the building blocks of matter?At some time in our lives, most of us have learned that matter is made of molecules, molecules are made of atoms, and atoms are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. But what’s less commonly learned is what’s going on inside those atoms and molecules, such as when a bond breaks or internal components are rearranged through a chemical reaction.In this episode, we sit down with Keith Whitener...

The Economics Aficionado: Episode 94

June 12, 2026

What if we could turn economic complexity into strategic understanding? In this episode, we sit down with David Rushing Dewhurst, Ph.D., a program manager in DARPA\'s Information Processing Techniques Office, IPTO. Dewhurst works at the complex intersection of economics, data science, and national security to develop tools that help America navigate a world where economic competition has become a primary battlefield. Dewhurst shares his unconventional path to the agency and takes us through t...

What's in a Name? Episode 93

May 20, 2026

What does it take to solve the world's most urgent national security and economic challenges? At DARPA, it starts with questioning past assumptions. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of a major organizational pivot to hear directly from the office leaders driving the change. We unpack the "why" behind the new names on the doors of two tech offices: The Multi X Office (MXO): Formerly the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO), MXO is breaking down the walls between physics, chemistry, bio...