Chris Andrews Chris Andrews is a policy fellow at National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction. His research focuses on nuclear deterrence, nuclear forces, and the future of nuclear crisis relationships among strategic competitors. Before joining CSWMD, Chris was an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, providing subject matter expertise on WMD threats to the homeland, foreign nuclear weapons programs, and military intelligence related to Indo-Pacific security dynamics. He also worked in the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration, providing technical support and policy analysis for nuclear nonproliferation and arms control initiatives, international nuclear safeguards engagements, and strategic materials management for U.S. nuclear modernization programs. Chris has a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee as well as a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in theology from the University of Notre Dame. April Arnold April Arnold is founder of True North Risk, advising clients on frontier risks and global catastrophic risks. Previously, she worked on U.S. implementation and compliance for various arms control agreements and nonproliferation programs. This includes over a decade supporting the U.S. chemical weapons destruction mission, from on-the-ground treaty inspections to multi-billion dollar program oversight. She has also worked on the Biological Weapons Convention, on various conventional arms control agreements, and nuclear material security as a contractor for various offices across the U.S. government. April was a 2022 Aspen Strategy Group Rising Leader and a 2021-2023 Board Fellow for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. She is currently a board member for Fair Hill Environmental Foundation, an advisory board member for University of Delaware’s Political Science Department, and a member of CSIS PONI’s Mid-Career Cadre. She holds a BA in International Relations from University of Delaware and an MA in Sustainable Energy from Johns Hopkins University. Nicole Benker Nicole Benker joined PNNL in August 2020 as a physicist and works primarily in areas of arms control, treaty verification, and safeguards, with a specific interest in autonomous technologies applications in those areas. Previously Nicole worked as an operator at the ATLAS heavy ion accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), developing beamline upgrades and coding beamline utilities when not tuning ion beams. Their undergraduate research included a solar neutron calorimeter payload flown aboard the International Space Station for which they were project manager and payload developer focal. In their senior year, they also oversaw the development for and managed a new semiconductor research laboratory specializing in the highly sensitive measurements required for developing materials like carbon nanotube FETs. Madeleine Chang Madeleine Chang serves as the Director of Policy at the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), a nonprofit trade group dedicated to building consensus within the commercial satellite industry and working directly with the U.S. government on current space policy issues. Previously, she has conducted aerospace research at CSIS and written satellite software at Lockheed Martin. Her research interests include de-escalation and deterrence, norm-setting, and public international law. Madeleine holds a Master of Engineering Management and a dual BA in Computer Science and Astronomy from Cornell University. Brandon Cortino Brandon Cortino is currently a Project Lead at CRDF Global. He specializes on Russian thought in defense policy after living 19 months in Russia including a year studying advanced Russian at Saint-Petersburg State University. He has previously worked as a Deterrence Analyst at United States Strategic Command and as a Research Associate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center for Global Security Research, where he conducted research on Russian thought in arms control. He holds a Master in International Studies degree from North Carolina State University and was a nuclear policy research assistant for Dr. Robert Reardon with National Nuclear Security Administration funding. Aubrey Curran Aubrey Curran is an International Nuclear Programs Analyst supporting the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters at the Pentagon. Responsible for staffing renewals, updates, and any new governance on international nuclear agreements under the Atomic Energy Act. Experience working with the U.S. interagency to staff packages to the President, and well as working negotiations with foreign partners on existing agreements. Previous experience supporting Department of Homeland Security and Department of State in various capacities within the fields of international security, national security, and emergency management. Holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Security from King’s College London, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University. Naomi Egel Naomi Egel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She is also a Faculty Fellow at the Center for International Trade and Security. Her research examines the politics of arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements, including why and how such agreements vary in their design and development, the implications of framing weapons in different ways, and public opinion regarding nuclear weapons and multilateral treaties. Previously, she was a Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and a US representative to the P5 Young Professionals Network. She holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University. Davis Ellison Davis Ellison is a strategic analyst at HCSS specialising in security and defence affairs and chair of the HCSS Initiative on the Future of Transatlantic Relations. His primary focus areas include deterrence, arms control, and strategy. He is currently a PhD Candidate at the King’s College London Department of War Studies, where he is writing his dissertation on civil-military relations in NATO. He received his master’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, during which time he also studied at Humboldt and Free Universities in Berlin and the University of Bath. He joins HCSS from NATO Allied Command Transformation, where he served for over three years as a strategist. In his time at NATO he was a co-author of the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept, was responsible for military development elements of the Secretary General’s NATO 2030 initiative, and worked across a wide array of military-strategic issues for the alliance. Abigail Garden Abigail Garden serves as Program Analyst for Strategy and Policy at Navy Strategic Systems Programs supporting U.S. Navy equities to the Nuclear Weapons Council, Deputies Management Action Group – Nuclear, and U.S./UK cooperation under the Polaris Sales Agreement and Mutual Defense Agreement. She has previously supported bilateral engagements as a Strategic Planner and Analyst within the Plans & Policy Directorate at U.S. Strategic Command for the EUCOM and INDOPACOM Area of Responsibility. Abigail is an alumnus of the PONI Nuclear Scholars Initiative, Manfred Wörner Seminar, and NATO Early-Career Nuclear Scholars Workshop. She holds a Masters Degree in Political Science from the University of Nebraska – Omaha and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Alex Hall Alex Hall (she/her) is the Field Building Manager at Ploughshares, a global foundation dedicated to reducing the threat of nuclear weapons. There, she is responsible for actively engaging and convening partners to address shared policy priorities through new processes and strategic approaches to support a healthy, adaptive, and effective field. Prior to working at Ploughshares, Alex worked for the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide where she conducted open-source research on US policy tools used for the prevention of mass atrocities and related conflicts. She has also worked as a consultant for the Aspen Institute and was co-chair of the Women in International Security New England chapter. Alex holds a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA from Brandeis University in Politics. Her studies focused on conflict resolution, security studies, and international humanitarian law. JJ Henkin JJ Henkin is an NNSA Fellow and Program Advisor for the U.S. Department of State Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction within the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. He previously served as a Research and Teaching Assistant with the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Belfer Center; conducted graduate-level research in nuclear materials analysis at the University of California; and worked for the University of Colorado’s Office of Aerospace Ventures and Industry Collaboration. JJ has also spent seven years as the managing partner and lead systems engineer for BTS Production Group (DBA Blink Lites), an engineering and design firm. He holds a Master of Nuclear Engineering Degree and Graduate Certificate in Security Policy from UC Berkeley; a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School with a concentration in International and Global Affairs; and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Colorado with a concentration in Astrophysics. Kristine Madden Kristine Madden is a nuclear expert and international civil servant specializing in nonproliferation, IAEA safeguards, nuclear energy, and gender mainstreaming. She is also president of the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC), a non-profit spanning almost 50 countries. Kristine is a past fellow of the Harvard based Arms Control Negotiation Academy (2022 – 2023). She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences from the University of Michigan. Sara Beth Marchert Sara Beth Marchert is a Foreign Affairs Officer for the Office of Strategic Stability and Deterrence within the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, Sara Beth supports current & prospective nuclear arms control agreements and engagements with allies & partners to provide them with confidence & reassurance in U.S. deterrence commitments. Prior to joining the Department of State, she worked at Sandia National Laboratories, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Argonne National Laboratory. Sara Beth holds B.A. degrees in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Georgia, an M.A. in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and an M.A. in International Affairs from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Michael Moore Dr. Michael Moore is an early career physicist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Mike specializes in near-field and nuclear tracer detection, supporting the aims of arms control, nuclear explosion monitoring, and safeguards. He conducts warhead confirmation, monitoring transparency, and verifiable dismantlement research for the Office of Nuclear Verification. Currently, Mike is engaged with interagency arms control exercises, conducting nuclear material measurement campaigns, and delivering technical workshops. At PNNL, his work includes radiation-based warhead verification techniques, neutron resonance and scattering analysis, radioisotope power systems, radiotracer transport characterization for nuclear events, nondestructive assay for fuel cycle safeguards, and data intensive atomic physics. Victoria Sanchez Victoria Sanchez is the Office Director and Attaché for the U.S. Department of Energy at the U.S. Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. Previously, Dr. Sanchez worked on a range of arms control and security issues at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, and the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Dr. Sanchez also held prior positions at the U.S. Department of Defense with the Army Staff, and worked for a private consulting firm on nuclear energy and nonproliferation. She holds a BA and MA in International Affairs from the University of Georgia, and a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Delaware. Brian Starks Brian Starks works at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as an export control analyst, where he focuses on helping others understand nonproliferation obligations. Brian is a member of the Export Compliance Assistance Program, which provides export control support to Department of Energy (DOE) federal employees. He also supports the International Nonproliferation Export Control Program, conducting international training events with DOE partner countries on topics such as technology transfer and outreach to academic institutions. Brian is currently a PhD candidate in the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. His doctoral research involves building networks of export violations to identify what factors drive modern proliferation patterns. He previously worked as an export compliance specialist at an American aerospace company. Emily Tatton Emily Tatton is an early career civil servant in the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration, where she currently serves as the Lead Policy Analyst in the Office of the NNSA Administrator and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security. In roles across the U.S. Departments of Energy, State, and Defense, Emily has policy experience working nuclear security, deterrence, and nonproliferation issues and analytic experience focused on U.S.-China relations and Chinese foreign and security policy. Emily received a Master of Science degree in Political Science and Anticipatory Intelligence and quadruple Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Business, Economics, Political Science, and Asian Studies from Utah State University. Ashley Wiser Ashley Wiser is a former Air Force nuclear launch officer (Missileer) and a current international nuclear programs analyst/writer in Washington, DC where she enjoys long walks above ground. She has eight years’ experience in multiple nuclear security specialties including nuclear operations, nonproliferation and arms control, international nuclear agreements, and NATO strategic deterrence policy—providing subject matter expertise to the Department of Defense Office of Nuclear Matters and the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control. She’s a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) Nuclear Scholar and DOE/NNSA Graduate Fellow. She earned her BA in History with Honors from the University of Iowa and MS in International Relations from Troy University over many nightshifts a Minuteman III weapons console. Her writing has been published by Inkstick, Military Medicine, and Southeast Missouri State University Press. Jamie Withorne Jamie Withorne is a Doctoral Research Fellow in Political Science at the University of Oslo with the Oslo Nuclear Project. She is also a Junior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College. In her PhD, Jamie examines how emerging technology, changing regional geopolitics, and alliance structures like NATO effect nuclear weapons strategic stability. Previously, Jamie worked as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow with the International Atomic Energy Agency in the Department of Nuclear Security and Safety, a Graduate Affiliate and Research Assistant with the Oslo Nuclear Project, and a Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington, DC. She has also held positions at several nuclear policy organizations including the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US Department of State, and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Her research focuses on nuclear weapons policy, arms control and nonproliferation, and emerging technology. Jamie has a BA in Political Science from Columbia University in the City of New York, and an MPhil in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo. Brian A. Young Brian is an R&D geophysicist and principal member of technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories where he has worked since 2016 primarily on topics related to nuclear explosion monitoring. He holds a Ph.D. in Earth Science from the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at The University of Memphis. He is the SNL lead for legacy data related to explosion monitoring and has worked extensively on analysis of historical U.S. nuclear testing and recovery of data dating as far back as 1960. He additionally leads software development for the Regional Seismic Travel Time (RSTT) project; is a subject matter expert for the Geophysical Monitoring System; is the seismic lead for a series of mesoscale chemical explosive experiments; and participates in meetings, workshops, and exercises of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) as a seismic, historical testing, and on-site inspection expert.