[ICANN]<http://www.icann.org/> News Alert https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-05-25-en ________________________________ ICANN Hires DNS Expert to Lead Research Matt Larson Joins ICANN as Vice President of Research 25 May 2016 Matt Larson, an expert in Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure and security, has joined the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as Vice President of Research. "We are incredibly excited to have Matt on our team," said David Conrad, Chief Technology Officer. "An industry veteran, he brings to ICANN over twenty-five years of experience in designing and operating critical DNS architecture and developing and implementing innovative research programs." Larson comes to ICANN from Dyn, where he worked as their Chief Technology Officer, focused on engineering and technical architecture. He has also worked for Verisign and Hewlett-Packard, and served as Chairman of the Board of the DNS Operations, Analysis and Research Center (DNS-OARC) and Vice Chair of ICANN's Root Server System Advisory Council (RSSAC). Matt will lead a team of researchers to develop ICANN's research strategy. Building a world-class research competency is part of the office of the CTO's larger efforts to constantly improve knowledge about the identifiers ICANN helps coordinate. He has written three books on the DNS, including DNS on Windows Server 2003 and DNS on Windows, and is a co-host of the "Ask Mr. DNS Podcast". He currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and two children, and works out of ICANN's Washington, D.C. Engagement Center.