Stevens Alumnus Darío Gil '98 Confirmed as DOE Under Secretary of Science

Stevens alumnus Darío Gil '98 has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as under secretary of science at the Department of Energy, marking a significant milestone in a distinguished career that has taken him from Castle Point to the highest levels of American science and technology leadership.

Gil, who earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Stevens in 1998, spent more than two decades at IBM, most recently serving as senior vice president and director of IBM Research. He was among nearly 50 long-stalled science and technology nominees approved together by the Senate earlier this month.

The appointment places Gil at the helm of the DOE's Office of Science, which oversees 17 national laboratories and represents the nation's largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. In this role, he will guide critical federal investments in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, fusion energy and other leading-edge fields that he has championed throughout his career.

"This industry of the future is one that the U.S. must dominate, as it has profound scientific, economic and national security implications," Gil stated during his Senate confirmation hearing in April. "It is time to mobilize the nation's best teams to achieve the final frontier of building an error-corrected quantum supercomputer before the end of this decade."

Gil's journey from Stevens to this prestigious position reflects a career defined by innovation and leadership. After earning his Ph.D. from MIT, he joined IBM in 2003 and rose to become director of IBM Research in 2019. During his tenure, he spearheaded IBM's quantum computing initiatives and helped advance the company's artificial intelligence research.

In 2020, Gil was appointed to the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation, and became its chair in 2024 — the first executive from the commercial sector to hold that position in three decades. He stepped down from that role in April in anticipation of his DOE confirmation.

Darío Gil toured campus and visited with Stevens President Nariman Farvardin and the university’s leaders and faculty in August 2024.Photo: Jeff Vock Last fall, Gil returned to Stevens to deliver the university's President's Distinguished Lecture Series, where he spoke to a packed auditorium about the convergence of classical computing, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. During that visit, he received the President's Medal from Stevens President Nariman Farvardin and met with students in a private roundtable discussion.

"We're living, this decade, in the opportunity not only to build these technologies but to unleash them to actually solve problems that we could not solve before," Gil told the Stevens audience during his October 2024 lecture.

In his new role, Gil emphasized the importance of strengthening STEM education pipelines and maintaining America's competitive edge in emerging technologies. He also highlighted the unique capabilities of the national laboratory system in addressing grand scientific challenges.

"The combination of inspiring missions, broad and deep scientific expertise, singular infrastructure and nation-scale resources make the U.S. National Labs the world's greatest platform of scientific discovery in the physical sciences," Gil stated in his confirmation testimony.

"I have nothing but gratitude for all the IBMers, partners and clients with which I have had the privilege of working with during the last two decades," Gil wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing his transition. "As for me, the time has come to take on a new challenge and to devote all my energy and passion to serve my fellow citizens, the United States and the world."