Dr. David Babson currently serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E). His focus at ARPA-E includes bioenergy, agricultural systems innovation, and carbon management.

Prior to joining ARPA-E, Babson served as the Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment in the Office of the Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There, he led R&D coordination efforts on carbon management, climate adaptation, sustainability, agricultural systems innovation, bioenergy, and biotechnology. Prior to joining the USDA, Babson was a Technology Manager in the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) where he oversaw several Conversion Program projects and worked to understand how to leverage new technologies to advance the emerging bioeconomy and address global energy and climate challenges. Before BETO, Babson advocated for sustainable transportation solutions as a Senior Fuels Engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Babson earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Rutgers University.