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RippleMatch honored MITRE with a 2025 Campus Forward Award, recognizing the high quality of our student programming and our commitment to providing the best experience for the next generation of talent.
At SANS' Difference Maker Awards, MITRE was named Cybersecurity Company of the Year for both the community and committee awards within the awards category. For more than 60 years, MITRE has developed and released open-source tools and publicly available resources for the global cybersecurity community. From transparent crisis management and innovative frameworks to collaborative research and workforce development programs, we aim to exemplify leadership, ethical standards, and community engagement in cybersecurity. "This award is encouragement and motivation for us to continue to push the frontiers to do better," said Wen Masters, MITRE's vice president of cyber technologies.
Forbes named MITRE to its list of America’s Best Employers for Engineers for 2025. This recognition serves to reinforce MITRE’s values, employee satisfaction, career growth opportunities, competitive compensation, and a strong workplace culture for engineering professionals. With initiatives such as our New Professionals programs, mentorship, education, and wellness programs, we continue to invest in the future of our people, ensuring that our employees feel valued and empowered. Statista and Forbes compiled the list via an independent survey from a sample of more than 28,000 U.S. employees from all industry sectors working for companies employing at least 1,000 people within the U.S. The final score is based on two types of evaluations: 1) personal, those given by employees themselves, and 2) public, those given by friends and family members of employees, or members of the public who work in the same industry.
Imagine being one of the newcomers—and one of the youngest engineers in your department—and identifying an error that puts at risk the systems it’s designed to protect. One of MITRE’s youngest cyber professionals is gaining kudos for her innovative algorithmic detective work. Lauren Brandt, 25, played a pivotal role in a 2023 Intelligence Community sponsor's post-quantum cryptography project by identifying an error in a new algorithm published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As part of her project work, Brandt wrote the code for an algorithm using NIST’s non-standardized specifications. "I was looking for errors because the sponsor expected there would be some there,” she says. “Actually, everyone was looking for errors—it was open for public review at that point. It was a small thing to find, but you could say that I caught it in the rough draft stage.” After spotting the error, Brandt was "excited that I had enough knowledge to actually be able to pinpoint something that was an issue." After running her findings by senior MITRE technical staff, Brandt submitted her response to NIST. "I had only been at MITRE full time for a year at that point, and I was a bit less confident because I'm so young. But they had no idea of my age—all they knew was my affiliation because of my MITRE email address, and that I had spelled out all of the math for them." Her discovery led to a revision in the specification before its final publication.
Marco Quezada discovered MITRE by accident, and he’s glad he did. He’s now in his 16th year at the company, where a willingness to step up to every challenge has defined his career. An aerospace engineer, Quezada’s first job was building flight simulators. "At that time, word on the street was that MITRE was a place for people with PhDs," he says. "I didn't have a PhD—I learn as I go—so I didn’t really think about applying for a job." Then he got the call: A friend and former co-worker had joined MITRE and wanted Quezada for his team. "MITRE was upgrading its aviation laboratory facilities and needed someone with experience building flight simulators," Quezada recalls. "A few months later, I was onboard." Since then, Quezada's knack for learning as he goes has served him—and MITRE—well. When MITRE decided to establish its first aviation research and development center outside the United States, Quezada was all in. The new site—MITRE Asia Pacific Singapore, or MAPS—was to have a laboratory identical to the U.S. version, the Integrated Demonstration and Experimentation for Aeronautics (IDEA) Laboratory. "I grew up in Mexico and traveling to new places is something I enjoy, so I felt lucky to be part of the team that went to Singapore to help get the MAPS lab set up." That work quickly led to a new role—liaison between MAPS and IDEA Lab personnel. "It's been awesome," Quezada says. "I love working with the MAPS team."
While fans were rocking it out at the Kelce Jam, a MITRE-developed data sharing platform—paired with crowd-monitoring drones and cameras—kept them safer than ever. What do tornados, football games, and snowstorms all have in common? They could all be better managed if security personnel and emergency responders had a single, secure information sharing network that could provide them with a common operating picture—using data feeds from drones, ground-based sensors, and other sources. That’s the idea behind the Kansas Network of Emerging Technologies (KNET), which the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) asked MITRE to prototype and demonstrate. "KDOT wants to improve its emergency response and interagency coordination when county- or state-level emergencies occur," says KNET MITRE project leader Trever Linn. They also want to improve public safety at large gatherings. "To do that, they need a platform that can reliably share data with all relevant emergency responders in near-real-time—packaged in an easy-to-digest view. That’s the goal for KNET." "Given the magnitude of the challenge KDOT was undertaking, MITRE was singularly positioned to make the vision of KNET a reality," says Brian Kassin, chief of strategic programs for KDOT. "That reality will be transformative for the people of Kansas and a model for all public safety."
Learn and listen. Mark Peters says both are priorities as he steps into the role of MITRE president and CEO on Sept. 3. To get up to speed on all things MITRE, Peters plans to “spend a lot of time learning from everybody here. I have ideas, but I want to hear from people and chart a path together.” Our 10th CEO may be new to MITRE, but not to the federal R&D environment. Peters led Idaho National Laboratory after his post-doc at Caltech and most recently directed Battelle’s portfolio of national labs. With a Ph.D. in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago, Peters brings deep expertise in nuclear energy, national and homeland security, environmental science, and technology. Naturally, our technical work and R&D make MITRE a great fit. “It just really makes sense,” he says about taking on the CEO role. Peters is quick to share what drives him: “It’s always been about mission and people with me. I’m excited to get to know everyone.”
Today’s military regularly uses technology to enhance performance. But what about managing mental wellness? A new MITRE application employs AI to help avert health crises and improve readiness. In 2023, mental health conditions were the primary reason for service member hospitalizations. With suicide prevention a top Defense Department priority, mental wellness in the military is in the spotlight. What’s at stake: The well-being of those who serve, as well as our nation’s warfighting capacity. "Being mission ready is being not only physically ready, but mentally ready as well," says Linda Desens, Ph.D., principal health communication scientist, MITRE. That belief inspired Desens and a team of researchers to develop the Technology Assisted Stress Control (TASC™) application prototype. TASC operates with off-the-shelf smartwatches to monitor physiological stress in real time—and get ahead of mental health challenges. The app uses a unique machine-learning, data-driven approach to get service members the help they need. To pilot the application, MITRE partnered with the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Data collection drew from a pool of veteran volunteers from the UCLA student body and staff, who brought real-world experience from the military environment. "MITRE's role in supporting the development of this technology is a critical enabler of our research," says Dr. Alex Young, professor at UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry.
Space-weather events can be a challenge to predict—with potentially dire consequences here on Earth when solar storm activity disrupts space-based technology. As the world becomes more space-reliant, MITRE is helping to identify best practices in collecting and analyzing space-weather for better preparation and improved outcomes. In May, when a series of strikingly strong solar flares produced an Earth-directed solar storm, people as far south as Florida could view the Aurora Borealis: the Northern Lights. But sky-gazers enjoying the rare phenomenon may not have considered the flip side of that light show. Geomagnetic storms have the potential to deal a huge blow to communications, utilities, and other services whose equipment lives in the sky. Possible damage ranges from the inconvenience of a power interruption to breaches of national security. The forecast is clear: Space weather matters. That’s why MITRE is joining partners like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to address the growing need for improved technology and understanding of space-weather ramifications. "As more technology takes to the skies, MITRE will continue to be a trusted partner and objective third-party adviser in keeping our assets and our planet safe," says Kerry Buckley, vice president and director for the Center for Integrated Transportation.
MITRE’s Brian Dorow, chief homeland security enterprise advisor, explores the evolving role of drones in law enforcement in his latest article for Police Chief Magazine. With over 1,500 U.S. police departments now using drones for search and rescue, crime scene documentation, and more, these technologies significantly enhance safety and situational awareness. However, FAA regulations requiring line-of-sight operation still pose challenges to pilots. Dorow highlights that while some cities have invested in drone technology and training, many local first responder departments lack comprehensive, standardized training programs. There is an urgent need for nationally available, specialized training to ensure that law enforcement agencies can maximize the benefits of drones while ensuring safe and effective operations.
