The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed a new head for its Office of Risk Assessment, and plans to beef up its efforts to identify vulnerabilities.

The SEC announced that Jonathan Sokobin has been named Director of the agency’s Office of Risk Assessment, which is responsible for helping the SEC develop new ways to anticipate emerging issues and address potential problems in the securities markets.

“Jonathan is being tapped to lead a major initiative that will knit together the agency’s resources for the identification of market risks and dangerous illegal practices before they metastasize into truly lethal consequences for investors,” said SEC chairman Christopher Cox.

Cox added that the ORA will see a doubling of its professional staff to provide resources and analytical support to the divisions of enforcement, trading and markets, investment management, and corporation finance, as well as the Office of the Chief Accountant and the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations.

“Jonathan’s experience, knowledge, and professional training have well equipped him for this vital function of looking around the corners and over the horizon, so that the SEC’s efforts will not always be focused on the money that got away, and the lessons of the last major scandal,” Cox said.

Sokobin joined the SEC in 1998 and has served as deputy chief economist since 2002. He replaces the inaugural director of the ORA, Charles Fishkin, who left the commission last year.