Dr. Chappell is the CTO of Azure Global. He is currently bootstrapping efforts for Microsoft in Space, Critical Infrastructure, and Secure Hardware Design.

He was formerly the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). He created the Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI), the nation’s largest investment in the foundation of electronics. Also, as office director, he helped structure and authorize the Spectrum Collaboration Challenge (SC2), the first DARPA RF grand challenge. As a Program Manager at DARPA, he led efforts on adaptive and high-performance RF systems. He developed the arrays at commercial timescales (ACT) and managed the Adaptive RF Technologies (ART) portfolio.

Prior to his DARPA appointment, Dr. Chappell served as a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Purdue University, where he led the Integrated Design of Electromagnetically Applied Systems (IDEAS) Laboratory. Dr. Chappell’s research focused on high-frequency components, specifically the unique integration of RF and microwave components based on electromagnetic analysis.

Dr. Chappell is the recipient of numerous research and teaching awards. He received his Bachelor of Science (summa cum laude), Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Electrical Engineering, all from the University of Michigan.