Carnegie Mellon University Names Jason Brown Next Director and CEO of the Software Engineering Institute

Brown will lead the SEI as it drives the frontiers of software, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity research and engineering as a strategic advantage for national security.

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University has named Jason M. Brown as director and chief executive officer of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a Department of War (DoW)-sponsored, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by the university. Brown will join CMU on Nov. 16, bringing extensive experience across military operations, the DoW and other national security agencies, academia and the defense technology industry at a pivotal moment for the institute and its mission. 

For more than four decades, the SEI has brought together an understanding of national security missions, deep technical expertise and Carnegie Mellon's research strengths to address consequential challenges for the nation. As emerging technologies transform defense operations, the institute has an opportunity to expand that role—helping the department evaluate new capabilities, understand their potential and vulnerabilities and employ them responsibly at scale.

As director and CEO, Brown will set the SEI's strategic direction, oversee its research, engineering and technology-transition activities and serve as its principal representative to federal sponsors and partners. He will work with researchers throughout Carnegie Mellon to connect the university's strengths with emerging national security needs.

"Jason brings an exceptional breadth of experience to this role," said Theresa Mayer, CMU's vice president for research. "He understands national-security missions from the perspective of a military leader, the development and deployment of emerging technologies from his work in industry and the contributions universities can make through research and education. That combination, together with his commitment to public service, makes him exceptionally well suited to lead the SEI as it builds on its success and enters its next chapter."

Brown first worked with Carnegie Mellon and the SEI while in the Air Force, gaining an early view of how the institute connects technical expertise with national-security missions. He brings experience across each of the sectors central to the SEI's mission. He currently serves as general manager, government, at Applied Intuition, where he leads work to develop and deploy software and autonomous technologies for government and defense customers. Before joining Applied Intuition, he led Google's professional services business for defense. 

Brown has held senior U.S. Air Force leadership positions focused on intelligence, emerging technology and national security. As director of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Strategic Studies Group, he developed and implemented the service's emerging-technology strategy and founded the U.S. Air Force Artificial Intelligence Accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was a founding member of the Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. Brown is also an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches artificial intelligence and national security.

"The most powerful results occur when researchers, military professionals and industry partners work closely enough to recognize possibilities that no one organization would identify on its own," Brown said. "The SEI can create more of those connections—bringing Carnegie Mellon's ideas and technical capabilities together with a deep understanding of the mission and helping turn them into capabilities that make a real difference."

Building on a Successful Legacy

Brown succeeds Paul Nielsen, who joined the SEI in 2004 and became its director and CEO later that year. Nielsen has guided the institute through more than two decades of technological change, institutional growth and expanded mission responsibility.

"It has been an honor to serve the SEI and to work alongside the individuals and leaders committed to securing our nation through advances in software, cybersecurity and AI," Nielsen said when announcing his transition. "SEI's strength has always been its ability to evolve as technology and national needs change, and I am confident the institute will continue to lead with impact and purpose in the years ahead."

Nielsen will remain engaged through the leadership transition. Carnegie Mellon will celebrate his service and contributions to the SEI and the nation at a reception in early 2027, with details to come soon.

Advancing the SEI's National Security Mission

The ability to connect research with mission needs has defined the SEI throughout its history. Its work has influenced how the DoW develops and acquires software, protects the defense industrial base, responds to cybersecurity threats and moves AI from experimental models into dependable systems.

"The SEI is exceptionally well positioned for its next chapter, with extraordinary people, deep technical capabilities and trusted partnerships with organizations in government, industry and academia," said John Gilligan, chair of the SEI Board of Visitors. "The board thanks Paul Nielsen for his superb leadership in guiding the SEI for the past 22 years and looks forward to working with Jason as he builds on that foundation, strengthens the institute's impact and positions the SEI to meet the nation's evolving needs."

With a renewed federal mandate, a record of national impact and new leadership, the SEI enters its next chapter prepared to help the nation realize the potential of emerging technologies while ensuring that the software, cybersecurity, AI and autonomous systems supporting critical missions remain secure, reliable and ready to perform.

"The SEI's impact rests on the extraordinary expertise of its people and the trust it has built across government, industry and academia," Mayer said. "With Jason's leadership, the institute is well positioned to build on its success, deepen its connections across Carnegie Mellon and continue its legacy of leadership in service to the nation."

About the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) advances software as a strategic advantage for national security through research, development and deployment of tools, technologies and practices in software engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), cyber and acquisition transformation. We serve the nation as a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the U.S. Department of War (DoW). For more information, visit the SEI website at https://www.sei.cmu.edu.

SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute