About Syntheos
We build the analytical infrastructure for high-stakes decisions.
Syntheos was founded on a simple premise: in complex environments, the bottleneck isn't data—it's the ability to synthesize it into defensible action.
The Strategic Bottleneck
Leaders in defense, healthcare, and research are drowning in dashboards but starving for clarity. The traditional consulting model delivers static decks that are outdated the moment they are printed. Off-the-shelf software provides generic metrics that fail to capture domain-specific nuances.
When the stakes are high, you cannot rely on black-box algorithms or opaque expert opinions. You need to show your work.
Our Mandate
We engineer decision intelligence systems that combine the rigor of scientific research with the speed of modern software. We don't just give you an answer; we give you the operational capability to continuously generate defensible answers as the environment changes.
Core Principles
How we operate
Diagnostic Precision
We don't start with solutions. We start by dismantling the problem until the core constraints and variables are exposed.
Traceable Logic
Every recommendation must be defensible. We build systems where the path from data to decision is explicit, auditable, and clear.
Operational Velocity
Analysis paralysis is a strategic vulnerability. Our intelligence architectures are designed to accelerate the OODA loop.
Our Team
Guided by experience
Caleb Smith
Founder & CEO
Caleb started Syntheos after years of watching research funders and defense program offices get asked “how do you know” in congressional testimony, and watching the answers they had fail under pressure. The systems they were using had been built to produce conclusions, not to defend them. Syntheos exists to build the other half.
He designed the evidence-ledger architecture behind the DARPA program analysis sites, shaped the pipeline design for Deepfield, and directs the net-assessment methodology that runs across every Syntheos engagement. His analytical frameworks have been adopted by DARPA, the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and major research institutions.
He currently serves as Director of Research Intelligence & Analytics at the University of Michigan Medical School and as a partner at SciTech Strategies, where he leads large-scale bibliometric and network-analysis engagements. His peer-reviewed work appears in Scientific Data and the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, and he advises the National Institutes of Health on research evaluation methodology.
Melissa Flagg
Senior Advisor
Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, where she oversaw DoD science and technology programs from basic research through advanced technology development. Dr. Flagg currently serves as a Fellow at the Acquisition Innovation Research Center and as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House. Her prior roles span the Office of Naval Research, the Department of State, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and serves on the National Academy of Sciences Air Force Studies Board and the Advisory Board of the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation.
Kevin Boyack
Chief Technology Officer
Nearly three decades of expertise in scientometrics, science mapping, and research evaluation. Dr. Boyack serves as President of SciTech Strategies, where he builds global models of scientific literature and predictive analytics for strategic planning and competitive intelligence. Previously, he spent 17 years at Sandia National Laboratories across combustion research, transport processes, and socio-economic war gaming. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and has authored over 80 publications on science mapping and citation analysis.
Richard Klavans
Chief Science Officer
Over 30 years of experience in science and technology strategy, with a focus on mapping the global structure of scientific knowledge. Dr. Klavans founded SciTech Strategies, building one of the first global models of scientific literature for strategic planning and competitive intelligence. He has advised Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and leading academic institutions on R&D portfolio management. A SCIP Fellow and former President of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, he has co-authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications on research evaluation and science policy.
Autumn Toney-Wails
Director of Research
Specializes in natural language processing and large-scale data analysis. Previously a Senior Data Research Analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), where she contributed to AI policy research on trustworthy AI and global research trends. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgetown University, an M.S. in Data Science from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Florida, and has published on multi-label classification, semantic bias in language models, and AI applications in climate research.
Ryan Wails
Science & Technology Advisor
Specializes in computer security, privacy-preserving technologies, and machine learning. Previously a computer scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, focused on formal methods and secure communication techniques. At Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory, he contributed to network-traffic analysis and covert-channel detection research, earning multiple best-paper and best-practical awards. An NSF Graduate Research Fellow, he holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from Georgetown University and dual B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from Penn State, with doctoral research in privacy-preserving machine-learning systems.
Breanna Ramos
Director of Operations
Over ten years of experience in human resources and organizational development, with a focus on aligning operational strategy with business objectives. Breanna also serves as an HR professional at TechSmith, where she supports cross-functional HR operations. She holds a degree in Psychology from Michigan State University. At Syntheos, she oversees internal processes and operational infrastructure.