Hon. Chris  Fall 
Senior Advisor, The Council on Strategic Risks

Hon. Chris  Fall  is a Senior Advisor to the Council on Strategic Risks. Fall most recently served as the Senate-confirmed Director of the Department of Energy Office of Science. The Office of Science is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences and is responsible  for 10 of the 17 DOE national laboratories. 

Before leading the Office of Science, Fall served as a Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Energy and as Acting Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Fall came to DOE from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), where he served as Acting Chief Scientist  and Lead for the Research Directorate, Deputy Director of Research, Director of the International  Liaison Office, and the ONR Innovation Fellow. Fall also served for three years in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as Assistant Director for Defense Programs and then as Acting Lead for the National Security and International Affairs Division. 

Fall came to government service from academia, where his focus was basic neurobiology and bioengineering. Fall earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from Northwestern University.