Dr. Russell Cooper is the Space and Directed Energy Chief Architect for AV, leading strategy and guiding vision for the segment’s research, development, and continued innovation. Dr. Cooper previously served as the Vice President of Innovation at BlueHalo, which was acquired by AV in May of 2025. In this role, he led early programs and IRAD across the portfolio–focused on Space, AI/ML, and Directed Energy.

Dr. Cooper has more than 15 years of experience providing direct support to government offices, including the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, where he led the technical baseline for one of the office’s flagship programs.  He began his career at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) space vehicles directorate, where he held various technical and leadership roles, including ISR lead for DARPA Blackjack and chief engineer on SSC CASINO. He supported efforts on next-generation fuel development and led research on space weather impacts to space domain awareness.

Dr. Cooper holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Goettingen in Germany (with stops at University of California Santa Barbara and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China) and  a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Montana State.