Dr. Tim Persons is GAO's Chief Scientist and one of two Managing Directors of the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team. The team conducts technology assessments, provides oversight of federal science and technology programs, provides technical assistance on science and technologies issues to the Congress, and develops innovative analytical techniques for carrying out audits and evaluations.  Tim joined GAO in July 2008. Prior to that, he served in key executive roles at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and the National Security Agency.  Dr. Persons received his B.Sc. in Physics from James Madison University, his M.Sc. in Nuclear Physics from Emory University, and his M.Sc. in Computer Science and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Wake Forest University.