In the summer of 2010, postdoc Chris White worked with a multidisciplinary team at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to determine if a new approach to data analysis could prevent violence and protect troops during the war in Afghanistan. At the conclusion of the program, the agency asked White to prove the value of his work—on the ground. 

In this episode, Principal Technical Program Manager Weishung Liu talks with White, director of Catalyst Lab at Microsoft Research, about his unexpected break from academic research to help lead advanced tech operations in Afghanistan and his later decision to again work on tech with immediate, real-world implications: dark-web search tools used to help combat human trafficking. Liu and White explore the influences that led to these experiences plus the important role of problem selection in innovation and remaining hopeful after seeing the darkest parts of humanity. 

CHRIS WHITE: I have seen a lot of really bad humanity. You know, I’ve seen terrorism and trafficking and sophisticated organized crime, you know, designed to take things from people. Designed to hurt people. And I just know that I can do something about it, you know, and that I have and that we can. And so I think that that light, you know, the light of making a difference, you know, allows me to hold and handle, you know, the dark parts. 

STANDARD INTRODUCTION: This is the Microsoft Research Podcast , where Microsoft researchers—driving advancement through fundamental science and technology research—explore the who, how, and what’s next in computing and AI.

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