Mark Dalton

About Mark

Mark Dalton leads R Street’s technology and cybersecurity policy portfolios as the organization’s senior director of technology and innovation.

Before joining R Street, Mark served as head of strategic planning at the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, where he played a key role in aligning the organization’s acquisition and research initiatives with the strategic needs of the Navy and the Department of Defense. Prior to that, he served as NUWC’s chief engineer for undersea warfare cybersecurity, delivering technical excellence in cyber solutions across research, development, engineering, and testing. He also established NUWC’s inaugural portfolio of cybersecurity research and development, strategically focusing on leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and formal mathematical methods to combat cyber threats.

As a computer scientist, Mark conducted research in the application of reinforcement learning to optimize behaviors in autonomous systems. He also managed numerous installations and tests of prototype technologies aboard U.S. Navy submarines worldwide.

Mark holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, a master’s degree in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is currently pursuing a PhD in international relations at Salve Regina University.

Mark resides in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, with his wife, Nichole, and their 18-year-old daughter, Addison. His 3-year-old dog, Ziggy, is his loyal officemate.