Dr Alvaro Velasquez

Program Manager Defence Advancement

Dr. Alvaro Velasquez joined DARPA in August of 2022 as a program manager focused on artificial intelligence. His current research interests are at the intersection of formal language theory and machine learning for sequential decision-making. He holds an interdisciplinary research record of more than 50 publications, including work in the areas of artificial intelligence, combinatorial optimization, and logic and circuit design.

Prior to joining DARPA, Velasquez led the machine intelligence portfolio of investments for the Information Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory. In this capacity, he managed and proposed new research direction and technology transitions for the Air Force in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. This work entailed close collaboration with both the academic and private sectors to develop new fundamental technologies for the warfighter.Velasquez has also held visiting scientist appointments at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Central Florida. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence journal.

Velasquez holds a doctorate, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in computer science from the University of Central Florida (UCF). While at UCF, he was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program award and the University of Central Florida 30 Under 30 award.