Christopher Houchens received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Vermont and is the Director within the CBRN Division of BARDA and has been with BARDA since April 2012. His primary focus is building and managing a diverse portfolio of novel therapeutics targeting both biowarfare agents and the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. In this role, Dr. Houchens conducts outreach with industry to identify new partnership opportunities and participates on numerous interagency working groups across the US government with the goal of strengthening collaborations and coordinating efforts among US government agencies and stakeholders.