The 2024 Winter Conference has concluded. Slides from conference presentations are available below. Visit the events section on our website for updates on future conferences and other upcoming events. 2024 Winter Conference Slide Deck The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) will host its 2024 Virtual Winter Conference on February 26. The theme of this conference is “Nuclear Lessons Learned From the Ukraine Conflict,” with presentations related to nuclear rhetoric and brinksmanship, escalation management, and changes in the perceived value of nuclear weapons. The conference will also feature a keynote presentation from Beverly Kirk, director of Washington programs at Syracuse University and a Senior Associate for the CSIS International Security Program. To register to attend this conference, please click the “Register” button below. Our call for applications to present is now closed. Why Attend? The PONI Conference Series is unique in its focus on rising experts and young professionals in the nuclear field. The Conference Series draws emerging thought leaders from across the nuclear enterprise and provides them with a visible platform for sharing their thinking on a range of nuclear issues. PONI conferences provide excellent opportunities for rising professionals to present and receive feedback on their research from a diverse group of experts and stakeholders in the nuclear community. Our conferences are also great opportunities to build connections with academics, national lab representatives, military officials, policymakers, and industry representatives across the nuclear enterprise. This event is made possible through the generous support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and U.S. national nuclear laboratories. Conference Agenda Welcome Remarks 10:00 AM Dr. Heather Williams, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies PANEL 1 – The Ukraine Conflict and Nuclear Implications for the Global Community 10:15 AM Moderator: Dr. Emily Holland, Assistant Professor, Russia Maritime Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College Nuclear Security After the Russian Invasion of UkraineAli Alkis, WINS Ambassador to Türkiye, World Institute for Nuclear Security (New) Materials of Deterrence? Thinking NATO Nuclear Deterrence Through the New B61-12Vincenzo Poti, M.A. Candidate, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, University of Trento France’s Role in the Nuclear Triumvirate After Ukraine: Towards an Extension of Deterrence?Mathéo Schwartz, Research Fellow, Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University Break 11:30 AM Keynote Address by Beverly Kirk: Charting Your Path 12:00 PM Beverly Kirk, Director, Washington Programs; Professor of Practice, Syracuse University Discussion Moderator: Dr. Heather Williams, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies Break 1:00 PM PANEL 2 – Unpacking Russia’s Nuclear Discourse on Ukraine 1:15 PM Moderator: Madison Estes, Policy Analyst, Plans and Policy Directorate (J5), USSTRATCOM Will They or Won’t They: Russian Civilian Expert Views on The Role of Nuclear WeaponsGabriela Iveliz Rosa Hernández, Associate Research Analyst, Russia Studies Program, Center for Naval Analyses Russia’s Nuclear Force ModernizationEliana Johns, Research Associate, Nuclear Information Project, Federation of American Scientists Russia’s Strategic Deterrence: Unpacking MisconceptionsCaroline Russell, M.A. Candidate in European Studies, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University Break 2:30 PM PANEL 3 – Receiving the Message: Russian Nuclear Signaling & Risk Perceptions 2:45 PM Moderator: Dr. Andrew Reddie, Associate Research Professor, University of California, Berkeley What We Owe to Ukrainians: A Moral Perspective on Nuclear Coercion & Military InterventionSophia Anastazievsky, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine Conspiracy and CBRNE: Analyzing Russia’s Information Warfare via Telegram on WMDs During Russia’s War on UkraineKiley McCormick, Federal Contractor U.S. Public Perceptions of Nuclear Weapons Use in the Russia-Ukraine WarKaitlin Peach, Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, University of Oklahoma Closing Remarks 4:00 PM Dr. Heather Williams, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies