Kemper Talley, Ph. D

Dr. Kemper Talley is a senior scientist and principal investigator at RTX BBN Technologies in the Synthetic Biology group. He is the recipient of the 2022 Joseph D. Weinand NDIA CBRN award for his work in Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense. His work primarily focuses on the development of algorithms, sensors, and applications for CBRN defense. At BBN Dr. Talley leads efforts to understand and develop countermeasures against the rapidly evolving landscape of chemical and biological threats from AI-enabled Biological and Chemical Design Tools. Previous to joining BBN, Dr. Talley led algorithm development and design to enhance the capabilities of numerous radiation detection products at Teledyne FLIR including the IdentiFINDER R425, a handheld radiation detector deployed around the world, including by the IAEA in Chernobyl after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, Dr. Talley has led technical efforts for various Pentagon program offices to optimize defense against weapons of mass destruction through novel CBRN battlefield situational awareness applications to enable warfighters to ‘see’ unseen threats using Augmented Reality technology. His work has resulted in numerous patents, publications, and new technology solutions that advance the mission of reducing harm and lethal risk posed by CBRN threats.

Within a year of joining RTX, Dr. Talley was essential in developing new business and winning numerous contract awards with different agencies spanning the CWMD space (DIU for the JPEO-CBRND, DTRA-CB, and DARPA BTO). While each of these customers are not new to the larger RTX, the lines of business and efforts are new to BBN. Dr. Talley runs biweekly CBRN strategy meetings that draw from scientists, engineers, and senior management across multiple business units within RTX. In addition to his duties at RTX, he serves on the board of directors of the CBRN division within the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and is the active representative for RTX BBN for the CBRNE Industry Group. He attends and supports numerous CBRN warfighter touchpoints with innovative technical solutions at events such as DTRA’s Chemical Biological Operational Assessment, Beholder’s Gaze, and Dragon Spear. Dr. Talley organizes and participates in numerous conferences including AAAI for SynBio, GTRI’s Cyberbiosecurity Summit, NDIA CBRN meetings, and various DoD affiliated conferences in collaboration with other government, industry, and academic leaders.

Dr. Talley’s academic career began with publications in biophysics on computational models for protein-protein interactions culminating in a highly cited work and early database on protein properties. His thesis work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) helped find and resolve errors in the nuclear codes developed at ORNL and used worldwide. Dr. Talley joined industry shortly after completing his PhD. At Teledyne FLIR Dr. Talley’s work on radiation detectors and algorithms led to numerous patents and contributions to the majority of the radiation detection products produced by Teledyne FLIR (i.e. identiFINDER R200, R400, R425 and MUVE R430). Dr. Talley also developed novel radiation mapping techniques leveraging sensor fusion and Augmented Reality to develop interactive radiation heat maps. The efforts led to larger program success with DTRA where Talley led the design and development of digital contamination mapping technology for chemical threats including machine vision systems that enabled the prototype system for the Autonomous Decontamination System (a current CWMD consortium effort).