Chris Pernin (he/him) is Director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department and a Senior Physical Scientist at the RAND Corporation. Pernin is part of the senior leadership at RAND and has held progressive research leadership positions throughout his career, from running large research programs to now heading the Department of over 300 engineers and scientists. In addition, he remains actively involved in performing research for both international and domestic clients on technology development, acquisition, and governance; institutional decision making and reform; and, strategic planning. He has served on various advisory panels and editorial boards throughout his career. Prior to joining RAND, he spent time at Argonne National Laboratory, working on early development of the Advanced Photon Source facility. Pernin received his Ph.D. and M.S. in chemistry from Northwestern University and his B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Pernin currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, and previously has lived and worked in Washington, DC; Accra, Ghana; and the United Kingdom.