The Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons is pleased to announce that it has accepted six remarkable individuals into its second class of early-career fellows working to reduce nuclear risks.
Through mentorship and exchanges of ideas with key leaders in the field, the fellowship will enable participants to collaboratively explore the current nuclear threat landscape and work on tangible solutions. Together, fellows and the broader CSR team will aim to enrich the arms control community’s understanding of how governments can pursue risk reduction in a more meaningful and results-oriented way. In the process, participants will have the opportunity to form peer-to-peer relationships and grow as thought leaders, strengthening the field’s talent pipeline along the way.
CSR’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Fellowship Program is part of a broader project on reducing the risks of nuclear weapons being used, with a particular focus on potential changes to nuclear policies, programs, and postures of nuclear weapons-possessing states as levers to reduce this risk as much as possible in the near term.
The CSR team welcomes the following six immensely talented individuals to its latest early-career class:
Fellows
Ashley Christ is an advisor to the U.S. Mission to the Conference on Disarmament where she supports U.S. efforts related to arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation in multilateral fora. Previously, she worked on international nuclear safeguards issues at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and was a fellow with the Stanley Center for International Peace and Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Ashley holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Dana Hatic is a policy analyst for Noblis ESI researching emerging technologies and novel threats in support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Cooperative Threat Reduction program. She previously spent seven years working as a journalist in the Boston area. Hatic holds an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, an M.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and a B.S. in Communication from the University of Miami.
Shinichi Hirao is a Captain in the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. He served as a platoon leader and an operations and training officer in tactical units, joining various field exercises and disaster relief operations. Mr. Hirao also works on strategic and nuclear issues through the CTBTO Youth Group and Emerging Voices Network of the British American Security Information Council, as well as co-translating Dr. Brad Roberts’ “The Case for U.S. Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century” to foster discussion in Japan about global nuclear risks. He earned his BA in Law from the University of Tokyo and the Master of Public Policy from the Frank Batten School of the University of Virginia.
Donghyeon Kim completed multiple research fellowships including Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Pacific Forum, and Nuclear Nonproliferation Education and Research Center (NEREC) at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Donghyeon is also a graduate of 2020 Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) Nuclear Scholar Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His original research on North Korean nuclear strategy was recognized with an invitation for a presentation at the 63rd Pugwash International Conference and 11th International Student / Young Pugwash (ISYP) Conference. Donghyeon served in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army as a translator in G5 Future Operations, 2nd Infantry Division, United States Forces Korea (USFK). Also, he worked at the President’s Office of the Republic of Korea during the Park Geun-hye administration. Donghyeon holds a M.A degree from Tufts Fletcher School and B.A. from Korea University.
Dilan Koç is a Responsible AI Officer at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Her work focuses on accelerating and mainstreaming the responsible integration of artificial intelligence across a range of Alliance capabilities. Dilan was a 2022 Nuclear Scholar at the Project on Nuclear Issues at CSIS and a United Nations Youth Champion for Disarmament at the UNODA. She holds an MA in Global Affairs from Yale University.
Shawn Rostker is a Master’s candidate in the Security Studies Program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of California, San Diego where he graduated summa cum laude. He has interned at the Center for Political-Military Analysis where he researched Chinese and Russian nuclear modernization efforts, as well as the ongoing development of the DPRK’s weapons program. As an undergraduate, he participated in the DOD-sponsored Hacking for Defense program in which he explored the intersection of various emerging technologies and maritime defense. Most recently, he was a research intern with the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies where he focused on technology policy and the national security implications of artificial intelligence, quantum information sciences, and other disruptive capabilities. He is currently exploring ways in which to reduce the strategic stability risks around the integration of artificial intelligence into NC3.