# Kris Merkel

> Kris Merkel is the President and CEO of S2 Corporation, a Bozeman, Montana deep-tech firm turning rare-earth-doped crystals into an optical computer that watches the entire radio spectrum at once. A physicist by training and a patient operator by temperament, he has spent more than two decades pulling a niche piece of laboratory physics, spatial-spectral holography, out of Montana State University and into the hands of the U.S. Department of Defense, DARPA, and the intelligence community.

- **Role:** President and CEO at S2 Corporation
- **Organizations:** S2 Corporation, Montana State University (former), Scientific Materials Corporation (former)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Physics, Georgetown University, M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Washington
- **Known for:** Co-inventor on spatial spectral holography patents (e.g., US8829471B1)., Built S2 Corporation from a university spinout into a 19-person defense-tech firm with 20 patents., Secured contracts with Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, IARPA, and BAE Systems.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — B.S. in Physics from Georgetown University.
- **1998** — Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.
- **1998-2003** — Senior Research Scientist at Montana State University, working on spatial-spectral holography.
- **2003-2005** — Vice President at Scientific Materials Corporation.
- **2005-present** — President and CEO of S2 Corporation, Bozeman, Montana.
- **2014** — Awarded the Jerry Sowell Radio Frequency Award from the Association of Old Crows.
- **2016** — S2 receives a $4.5M subcontract from BAE Systems for naval electronic warfare.
- **2017** — $13.59M award from National Spectrum Consortium; $1M IARPA contract with MSU.
- **2018** — Keynote at the 55th Annual AOC International Symposium on battlespace awareness.
- **2020** — S2 wins a DARPA contract worth up to $21M for a broadband electromagnetic spectrum receiver.
- **2022** — Recognized as a Top 10 Photonics Solutions Company.

## Achievements

- Co-inventor on spatial spectral holography patents (e.g., US8829471B1).
- Built S2 Corporation from a university spinout into a 19-person defense-tech firm with 20 patents.
- Secured contracts with Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, IARPA, and BAE Systems.
- Recipient of the 2014 Jerry Sowell Radio Frequency Award (Association of Old Crows).
- Raised approximately $21M in total funding (Seed-stage).

## Latest updates

- **2020-08** — S2 awarded DARPA contract (up to $21M) to prototype a broadband electromagnetic spectrum receiver.
- **2022-01** — Named a Top 10 Photonics Solutions Company by Semiconductor Review.

## Links

- Website: https://s2corporation.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-merkel-48032018/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/kris-merkel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-30