Aran Hegarty

Aran Hegarty is the president of Hegarty Research, which he founded in 2006. The company provides acquisition and engineering services to the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. As president, Hegarty works directly with senior military engineers, scientists, and program managers on projects ranging from cyber warfare to signals intelligence. 

As an Illinois student, Hegarty spent considerable time in laboratory classes, and he encourages current students to do the same. “Access to the laboratory facilities provided at a major research university allowed hands on exploration of classroom theory,” he said. Current students should take the opportunity to enroll in “labs and more labs,” he said.

Hegarty is a past president and current board member for the University of Illinois Alumni Club of Greater Washington, D.C. While president of the club, they won the National Alumni Club of the Year Award. He is also a University of Illinois Foundation Member. As an alumnus of George Washington University, where he received a master’s degree in engineering management, Hegarty also serves on boards there, including as the founding chairman of The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Task Force.

Beyond the realm of engineering, Hegarty enjoys traveling in Europe—especially France and Italy—and he has lived abroad in Ireland, England, Italy, and Cuba. He is an enthusiast of Formula 1 racing, mechanical watches, and Illini basketball and football.