Microsoft names new managing director of research

Dr Lee will take over as managing director of Microsoft Research Redmond

Microsoft has named a new managing director for its research division. Dr Peter Lee, a former programme director at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will take over as managing director of the Microsoft Research Redmond operation in the autumn.

Lee, an ex-professor at Carnegie Mellon University, had worked as director of DARPA's Transformational Convergence Technology Office, a project focused on areas such as crowdsourcing, machine intelligence and biosynthesis.

Rico Malvar, the current Microsoft Research Redmond director, will continue to serve in the role before moving into the chief scientist position when Lee takes over.

"Microsoft Research's revolutionary advances affect just about every desktop, enterprise and mobile system in the world, but what I find most exciting is its ability to influence and inspire countless numbers of researchers, students and technology leaders," said Lee.

"This unique combination of world-class research, impact on billions of systems and influential thought leadership is simply exhilarating."

Lee takes over the research role in a time of transition for Microsoft as the company launches the Windows Phone 7 smartphone operating system and the Azure cloud computing platform.