Alexander J. Titus is an American AI and biotechnology expert, strategist, and entrepreneur notable for significant contributions to biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), and national security.[1]
Alexander J. Titus | |
|---|---|
 Titus in 2019 | |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Biotechnology professional, strategist, entrepreneur |
Early life and education
editTitus earned a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.A. in biology from the University of Puget Sound and a Ph.D. in machine learning and bioinformatics from Dartmouth College.[2]
Career
editTitus’s career spans academia, government, and the private sector, starting with roles in data science and bioinformatics at Dartmouth College.[3]
Government career
editTitus began his government career at the U.S. Department of Defense as the assistant director (later known as principal director)[citation needed]of Defense Research & Engineering for Biotechnology.[4][5] He helped launch biotechnology modernization programs at the DoD and BioMADE. He later joined the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) as its first chief strategy officer, where he developed pandemic response programs and led DoD-funded initiatives.[6][7]
Private sector experience
editTitus moved to Google in 2021 as a strategic business executive, leading the cloud healthcare & life sciences strategy for the public sector,[8] where he played a key role in launching and scaling pandemic response programs across the U.S.[9][10] In 2022, Titus became VP of Strategy & Computational Sciences at Colossal Biosciences,[11] leading teams in data science, AI, and bioinformatics.[12]
Academic appointments
editTitus's academic appointments include roles as a principal scientist at the USC Information Sciences Institute,[13] Research Faculty at the USC Iovine and Young Academy,[14] External Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, CA,[15] and Affiliate Faculty at the University of New Hampshire.[16]
Contributions to national security
editTitus has been actively involved in shaping national policy regarding biotechnology and AI.[17] He has held positions on various policy and strategic committees, including the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium[18][19] and the National Science and Technology Council at the White House.[citation needed]
In 2022, he became a congressionally appointed commissioner on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, focusing on enhancing the U.S. defense and national security use of biotechnology.[20][21][22] The commission is set to release its interim report by the end of 2023 and its final report by the end of 2024.
Advisory and entrepreneurial roles
editThroughout his career, Titus has served as an advisor to numerous startups and organizations, leveraging his expertise in computational product development and government strategy.[23][24] He also launched the biotechnology publication Bioeconomy.XYZ at the start of the pandemic.
Personal life
editTitus is a native of Hood River, Oregon, where he grew up exploring the wilderness and developed an appreciation for being outdoors. In 2014, Titus, along with his fiancee, set off on a long-distance bicycle ride from Prudhoe Bay, AK, to Tiera del Fuego, Argentina, but did not complete their journey.[25]
References
edit- ^ Titus, Alexander (2023-12-06). "Written statement of Alexander J. Titus, PhD, Principal Scientist, AI Division, Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Before the U.S. Senate AI Insight Forum "Risk, Alignment, & Guarding Against Doomsday Scenarios"" (PDF). Senator Schumer's Newsroom. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
- ^ "Alexander Titus – Information Sciences Institute". www.isi.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Alexander Titus, PhD". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Dr. Alexander Titus". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2023-11-20.[dead link]
- ^ Cumbers, John. ""With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" — Meet Alexander Titus The Department Of Defense's Head Of Biotechnology". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Leader, Michael Cousineau New Hampshire Union (2020-06-20). "Online game looks to stoke interest in regenerative medicine". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "National Technology Roadmap for Pandemic Response and Recovery". ARMI. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Building cloud into your data strategy delivers higher efficiency". Google Cloud Blog. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Three Lessons Learned From a Year of COVID-19 Response". Google Cloud Blog. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Using AI to augment public health services". FedScoop. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Preston, Quincy; Seeley, David (2022-03-09). "Mammoth Project: Dallas' Colossal Raises $60M to Advance Genetic Engineering and 'De-Extinction' Technologies". Dallas Innovates. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Biology Meets Computer Science For Next-Gen Biologics Drug Discovery". www.drugdiscoveryonline.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Alexander Titus – Information Sciences Institute". www.isi.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Alexander Titus Examines the Power of Artificial Intelligence (and Its Future) || USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy". iovine-young.usc.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "Dr. Alexander Titus Appointed to National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology". www.icsi.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Alexander Titus". UNH Manchester. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Statements From The Eighth Bipartisan Senate Forum On Artificial Intelligence | U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York". www.schumer.senate.gov. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "White House Announces New Partnership to Unleash U.S. Supercomputing Resources to Fight COVID-19 – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Brase, Jim; Campbell, Nancy; Helland, Barbara; Hoang, Thuc; Parashar, Manish; Rosenfield, Michael; Sexton, James; Towns, John; Mohror, Kathryn; Shalf, John M. (2022). "The COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium". Computing in Science & Engineering. 24 (1): 78–85. Bibcode:2022CSE....24a..78B. doi:10.1109/mcse.2022.3145608. PMC 9014472. PMID 35582691.
- ^ "Armed Services Committees Leadership Announces Selections for National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology". Armed Services Republicans. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "Armed Services Committees Leadership Announces Chair and Vice Chair Selections for National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology". www.armed-services.senate.gov. 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Cooper, Naomi (2023-01-03). "Legislative Leaders Name Members of National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology". Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "About Aanika Biosciences". www.aanikabio.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ "BioP2P Scientific Advisory Board Members". Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ Lapierre, Adam (2014-10-15). "Hood River native Alex Titus, and fiancée, pass through town along epic Pan-American ride". Columbia Gorge News. Retrieved 2023-11-20.