Jacob L. Swett is an American research scientist. He is a Co-founder of altLabs and Vice President of Recognition AnalytiX.1)
Swett attended Missouri State University from 2007-2012, earning his Bachelors of Science in Applied Mathematics and Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in German. In 2008, he studied yellow supergiant variable stars during as an intern at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Swett worked as a research scientist in Lockheed Martin's space division from 2008-2019.
He then attended the University of Oxford from 2016-2020 for his PhD in philosophy.2) The areas he focused on for his research were:
Swett has participated as a member of the Breakthrough Starshot Advisory Board since 2017.
In 2019, Swett co-founded altLabs, and participated in the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
In 2020, Swett acted as a consultant for the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and a visiting scientist at the ASU Biodesign Institute. He also participated as a fellow in the Council on Strategic Risks' Ending Bioweapons Program in 2020 and 2021.3)
Starting in November 2021, Swett began participating on the User Executive Committee for the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In January 2023, Swett became the committee's industry liaison for Recognition AnalytiX, his nanosensor startup.4)
As of January 2023, Swett is a Biosecurity Innovation Fellow at the Foresight Institute.