Google Hires DARPA Director

While confirming the hiring Wednesday, Google declined to say what Dugan will be doing in the company.

"Regina is a technical pioneer who brought the future of technology to the military during her time at DARPA," the company said in an e-mail. "She will be a real asset to Google and we are thrilled she is joining the team."

Dugan, an expert in counterterrorism and explosive detection systems, has served as DARPA director since 2009. Before her appointment, Dugan served as president and chief executive of investment firm Dugan Ventures, which she co-founded. Dugan also held the same posts at RedXDefense, a privately held Rockville, Md.-based, company that develops technology to find explosives on people, vehicles, bags and packages. Dugan Ventures founded RedXDefense.

Dugan has worked on a number of military projects. In 1999, she led a counterterrorism task force for the deputy secretary of defense and from 2001 to 2003, she served as a special adviser to vice chief of staff of the Army. From 1996 to 2000, Dugan served as a DARPA program manager in charge of a $100 million portfolio of programs, including one that focused on the development of a field-portable system for detecting the explosive content of land mines.

Dugan earned her doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.