Dr. Martina Siwek joined the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global in February 2021 to direct the Central and Eastern European regional office, seated within U.S. Embassy Prague. She works closely with Department of State, Commerce, Energy and other Defense colleagues to strengthen the US relationship with CEE nations through science cooperation. It is through this scientific collaboration that truly unique and potentially groundbreaking ideas are brought to the broader scientific community.
Prior to joining ONR Global, Martina was the Chief Scientist for the Strategic Innovation and Emerging Technology Office at the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response where she brought to bear her expertise in viral respiratory diseases to identify innovative solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in her career, Martina worked for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on AI solutions to global health challenges, was the Chief Scientist for the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Section of the Defense Health Agency, and supported other US Department of Defense organizations as a technical director for medical countermeasure research and development.
She earned her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University of Public Health in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, with a certificate in vaccine science.