Sharon L. Beermann-Curtin

Sharon L. Beermann-Curtin serves as Program Manager-DSO at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she leads the planning, solicitation, and execution of high-risk, high-reward research and development initiatives critical to national defense innovation. In this role, she bridges technical vision with acquisition strategy, managing complex contracts that advance breakthrough capabilities in autonomous systems, next-generation computing, bio-integrated technologies, and advanced materials. Her portfolio primarily consists of R&D contracts under broad agency announcements and other non-traditional procurement mechanisms, emphasizing agility, technical excellence, and rapid prototyping over traditional acquisition timelines. Beermann-Curtin maintains strategic relationships with a select group of high-caliber contractors including AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LLC, PENNSYLVANIA & SOUTHERN RAILWAY LLC, and ABBOTT LABORATORIES INC. These partnerships reflect a focus on interdisciplinary innovation, blending defense contractors with leading life sciences and advanced materials firms. Her procurement approach prioritizes technical capability over socioeconomic classifications, fostering collaboration between established defense primes, research institutions, and specialized technology innovators to accelerate mission-critical advancements. Her contracting activity shows no reliance on set-aside programs, with 100% of awards issued under unrestricted competition. This reflects DARPA’s mission-driven mandate to source the best available technology regardless of vendor size or certification, emphasizing performance, innovation, and speed over socioeconomic preferences. Her approach aligns with DARPA’s culture of technical meritocracy, where competitive rigor and scientific rigor drive selection. Beermann-Curtin’s procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). She routinely solicits advanced capabilities in AI-driven systems, quantum-enabled sensors, neuroadaptive interfaces, and novel materials for defense applications, working closely with entities capable of delivering transformative, non-standard solutions at the frontiers of science and engineering.