Arati Prabhakar is an engineer and director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Early in her career, she joined DARPA as a program manager and became the founding director of its Microelectronics Technology Office. In 1993, she was appointed director of the 3,000 person National Institute of Standards and Technology. From there, she left for Silicon Valley and became a top officer at Raychem and at Interval Research before joining the venture capital firm U.S. Venture Partners, where she focused on green technology and information technology startups.
The Haskins Lectureship on Science Policy was established through the generosity of Caryl P. and Edna Haskins, founders of Haskins Laboratories. The Haskins were dedicated to improving the nation's understanding of the relationship between scientific progress and sound public policy. Caryl Haskins was a member of RAND's Board of Trustees for twenty years and served as an advisory trustee and member of the President's Council.
