Breakthroughs & Bold Ideas with JP Chretien on Science, Security, and AI

Jean-Paul Chretien

The Renaissance Philanthropy team is growing, bringing together talent from diverse sectors—including government, academia, and industry—to drive groundbreaking innovations in science and technology. Our programs are designed to accelerate ambitious ideas by providing strategic support, resources, and a powerful network to help researchers and innovators make a global impact.

We sat down with JP Chretien, a new Program Director at Renaissance Philanthropy, to learn more about his journey, what excites him about the future of biotechnology and AI, and how his experience is shaping the next wave of scientific breakthroughs at Renaissance.

Q: Your career has spanned military service, public health, and cutting-edge innovation. What drew you to the intersection of science and national security, and how has that shaped your approach to problem-solving?
I started at the Naval Academy thinking I’d be a line officer—maybe an aviator or in surface warfare—before deciding to go to medical school. That choice put me at the intersection of health and national security from the start.

Caring for military service members is the most direct way my work has supported national security, but another constant has been working on emerging infectious diseases and pandemic risks.

A key lesson I’ve learned is that solving big problems requires making complex ideas accessible. In the military, I often advised commanders and senior officials, breaking down medical and scientific topics so they could make high-stakes decisions. The ability to communicate across disciplines is crucial—sometimes, the biggest impact comes from connecting with a broad audience, not just experts.

Q: During your time at DARPA and beyond, you've led groundbreaking projects at the forefront of biotechnology and AI. What excites you most about the future of these fields?

AI is revolutionizing biology and medicine. A few areas I’m excited about:

• Accelerating discovery: AI is already identifying existing drugs for new treatments and uncovering molecular targets for disease. We need large-scale data access to supercharge R&D, moving from slow trial-and-error to fast, AI-powered learning cycles.

• Making sense of biological data: As we collect more real-time health data from wearables and sensors, AI can translate it into actionable insights. A DARPA program I led, the Triage Challenge, used AI to predict life-saving interventions for trauma patients. Integrating AI with mechanistic biological models will help us understand and intervene in disease more effectively.

• Transforming medical care: AI is helping doctors diagnose conditions, extend high-quality care to underserved populations, and even drive closed-loop systems that deliver treatments in real time. But we also need to rethink medical training to ensure AI is used effectively, safely, and ethically.

With these opportunities come risks—AI and synthetic biology could be misused to create new pathogens. We need more research, red-teaming, and policy innovation to keep pace with these advances.

Q: Your work often focuses on preparing for the unknown—whether in pandemic response, biodefense, or military medicine. How do you cultivate a mindset for embracing uncertainty and innovation under pressure?
We can’t predict the future, but we can prepare for it. That means:

• Building adaptable tech: mRNA vaccines and CRISPR-based diagnostics are great examples of flexible tools that can be rapidly repurposed for new threats.

• Making multiple bets: DARPA often funds different teams tackling the same problem in diverse ways, so we learn what works best.
  Testing early and often: The DARPA Triage Challenge, for instance, brought together robotics, AI, and emergency medicine in real-world scenarios to see what actually worked.

• Practicing for the unexpected: As Eisenhower put it, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” The military excels at planning and exercising plans. Public health could benefit from a similar mindset, particularly in stress-testing R&D capabilities for crisis response.

Q: From your experiences as a Navy officer and epidemiologist to your leadership roles in cutting-edge research, what leadership lessons have been most valuable?
Great leaders care deeply about their people and remove obstacles in their way. At DARPA, I saw how military experience prepares you for high-stakes innovation. The military forces you to take on new roles every few years, which means constantly learning and adapting. At DARPA, where program managers have limited tenures, that same adaptability is essential.

Coming from a medical background helped me at DARPA—it helped me understand the needs and evaluate the feasibility of potential technical solutions. Some program managers bring deep expertise in a specific field but need to learn about military needs. Others, like me, bring an operational perspective and have to dive into the science. The best breakthroughs happen when you bridge both.

Q: Renaissance Philanthropy is focused on pushing the boundaries of science and technology. What strategies do you bring to help accelerate bold ideas?
We aim to empower others to launch ambitious efforts, similar to mentoring new program managers at DARPA. Some key strategies:

• Structured problem-solving: DARPA uses the Heilmeier Questions to evaluate ideas. This framework helps refine the “what, how, and why” of a project.

• Early feedback loops: Testing assumptions early prevents wasted effort and allows for course correction.

• Beyond the lab: Many great technologies never reach impact because translation barriers—like regulations or market readiness—weren’t addressed early enough. We help innovators think through these roadblocks from the start.

Q: What makes for a successful collaboration in tackling complex scientific challenges?
Effective partnerships often involve:

• Facilitators: Groups that don’t develop tech themselves but provide crucial resources. In the DARPA Triage Challenge, trauma centers at Maryland and Pittsburgh provided high-quality, real-world medical data for teams developing AI models.

• Transition partners: Whether it’s industry, regulators, or end-users, the right partners help move technology from research to real-world application. Engaging them early ensures alignment and avoids late-stage roadblocks.

• Cross-sector coordination: Bringing partners together helps navigate trade-offs—everyone wants success, but different stakeholders have different priorities. Aligning these early is key.

Q: With your experience in biosurveillance and health security, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges in leveraging data to prevent health crises?
Biosurveillance has moved beyond traditional diagnosis-based tracking to include diverse data sources:

• Environmental monitoring: Wastewater surveillance became a key tool during COVID-19 and suggests other possibilities, like air and surface monitoring.

• Wearables & home testing: Devices can detect early signs of infection, and widespread, affordable home testing could transform disease tracking. The challenge is making these tools cheap, easy to use, and integrated into public health systems.

• Privacy & data sharing: Unlocking medical AI’s potential requires large, shared datasets, but privacy concerns and data access issues remain major hurdles.

Q: If you could build a dream fund at Renaissance Philanthropy, what would it focus on?
A few ideas:

• Open medical datasets: AI thrives on shared data, but medicine lags due to privacy and access challenges. Incentivizing data sharing or developing privacy-preserving synthetic datasets could unlock breakthroughs.

• Bridging biomedical innovation: Many cutting-edge health technologies stall due to regulatory and market risks. We could create funding structures to de-risk and advance critical innovations.

• Access to blood in emergencies: Trauma and postpartum hemorrhage require immediate blood transfusions, but many areas lack supply. Addressing the logistical and reimbursement barriers could save tens of thousands of lives every year.

• Cures for rare diseases: Rare diseases collectively impact millions, yet most lack treatments due to small markets and high R&D costs. Strategies like AI-powered drug discovery, gene therapy platforms, and regulatory innovation could change that.

Q: Lots has been written about DARPA—what should other organizations, including Renaissance, learn from its model?
DARPA offers lots of lessons for highly ambitious organizations like Renaissance. For example:

• Culture of experimentation: DARPA constantly iterates on everything—technology, program design, contracting, and more. That relentless curiosity fuels innovation.

• Failure is part of the process: If you’re never failing, you’re not aiming high enough. At DARPA, a program “stoplight chart” with all green indicators was a red flag—we expected setbacks when tackling ambitious problems.