Lucas is an international relations analyst based in Brazil. For the last seven years, he has collaborated on a series of projects on Brazil’s and Latin America’s nuclear governance and global nuclear politics. He currently works as a research fellow and project associate at the School of International Relations, Fundação Getulio Vargas, where he collaborates on research and capacity-building initiatives on nuclear politics-related themes. His research interests include global nuclear governance, international relations theories, philosophical thinking, and science and technology studies in social sciences. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Lucas holds an MA and a BA in international relations from the Institute of International Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. He also spent one semester as an undergraduate exchange student at Georgetown University.

I am most excited to work on projects that… promote constructive dialogues through knowledge.

I am looking for partners who can help me… learn from different perspectives and backgrounds and provide a consequential contribution to global nuclear debates.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when I collaborated on education and capacity-building initiatives on global nuclear politics.

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… are those that integrate interdisciplinary thinking.

Nancy is a gifted leader who attracts talent. Over her career she has worked with local government associations and nonprofits creating public/private partnerships, developing active and engaged boards of directors, and navigating organizational change. She is known for building collaborative relationships, navigating times of transition or crisis, and leading organizations that people want to work in.

I am most excited to work on projects that… challenge me and give me the opportunity to mentor.

I am looking for partners who can help me… grow and who complement my skills by being good at the things I am not good at.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… at the 2019 WAND National Leadership Conference; the mix of activists, legislators, and experts was truly electrifying. Also, anytime that I get to help those earlier in their career learn and grow.

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… involve building stronger, better aligned, and more sustainable organizations.

Ali is a molecular biologist and president of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that for 75 years has been at the forefront of addressing global risks ranging from nuclear weapons to pandemics. His current policy focus includes addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic, combatting disinformation and educating the public, and building scientific advisory bodies for domestic and international institutions. Prior to assuming his role at FAS, he served in Congress, advising senators over a 10-year period as legislative director, national security advisor, energy and environment advisor, and science and technology advisor.

Ali is co-chair of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s New Voices initiative; co-chair of the NAS Forum on COVID-19; and serves on the National Academy’s Global Science Diplomacy Roundtable, where he co-chairs the subcommittee on countering disinformation. He also serves on the advisory board of the National Science Policy Network, a global network of early career scientists who engage in science policy, and as a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s 100 & Change Wise Head Panel. He holds a BA in biology from Reed College and a PhD from Princeton University.

I am most excited to work on projects that… involve building things.

I am looking for partners who can help me… conduct joint projects.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when NJ Governor Chris Murphy thanked FAS during his COVID briefing.

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… involve crowdsourcing scientific expertise to help institutions make better decisions.

Orion is a PhD candidate and graduate teaching assistant at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, and the International Relations Institute, University of São Paulo. His doctoral research focuses on symbolic facets of nuclear weapons and how symbolism, identity, and behavior articulate within the nuclear sphere. Orion’s main research interests encompass the culture and discourse around nuclear weapons, identity studies, arms control, nonproliferation, and post-positivist approaches to international security—particularly how symbolic perceptions of nuclear weapons are constructed and cultivated, embedded into state identity, and affect behavior and policy. Orion is also a senior editor at Strife Journal and the student representative for the International Studies Association’s Latin America and Caribbean Region (ISA-LAC). He holds a MA in international security from the University of Groningen and a BA in international relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais.

I am most excited to work on projects that… help our understanding of how nuclear weapons are thought of and understood in order to change status-based symbolic perceptions around them.

I am looking for partners who can help me… fight and reverse “positive nuclear culture” and dismantle the crystallized regimes of nuclear truth through which nuclear weapons are portrayed and discussed.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when I, a non-Western/non-white early career scholar relatively unknown in the field, managed to present my research and engage in transparent debates with leading experts, and was encouraged to pursue my research and career goals despite all the systemic adversities stemming from my background.

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… include the much needed yet still somewhat neglected opening of the field to subjective and non/post-positivist approaches to nuclear weapons and the impact of culture, narrative, semiotics, identity, and language on the study of nuclear politics.

Nomsa is cofounder and co-director of the West Coast chapter of Women of Color Advancing Peace & Security (WCAPS). She is also an MA candidate in nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and financial crime management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and a graduate research assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Previously, she served as diplomat at the Zimbabwe Permanent Mission in Geneva, focusing mainly on the disarmament portfolio. Nomsa has lived in Romania, Belgium, Tanzania, Canada, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, and now the United States. She is fluent in English, Shona, French, Romanian, and Kiswahili, and is passionate about preserving the planet for future generations. She obtained her LLB single hons degree at Brunel University, and her postgraduate diploma in legal practice (LPC) from the University of Law in Guildford, UK.

I am most excited to work on projects that… will create a cultural shift for the better, and make the field irrevocably more inclusive and diverse.

I am looking for partners who can help me… turn ideas and concepts into concrete, practical action.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when I rallied other countries and then voted on behalf of my country to recommend the drafting and creation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… include anything that will bring about a different, more innovative (and quite frankly) effective approach to tackling issues in the field, be it front or back of the house.

Sylvia is a doctoral researcher at King’s College London, where her research focuses on nuclear strategy and nonproliferation, Southern Asian security, and emerging technologies. She co-chairs both the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Working Group for Women of Color Advancing Peace & Security (WCAPS) and the Indian Women in International Relations Forum at Global Policy Insights. A CSIS Mid-Career Cadre scholar, Sylvia was previously an India-US Fellow at New America, an Accelerator Initiative Fellow at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, a Scoville Fellow at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, a Carnegie New Leader. She also worked in New Delhi at the Observer Research Foundation on India-US defense and security ties.

Sylvia has been invited to present papers, deliver talks, and participate in crisis simulation and Track II dialogues at various national and international forums. Her publications include book chapters, journal articles, and opinion pieces, and she was featured in Women in Foreign Policy. She holds a BA in political science from Hindu College, University of Delhi, an MSc in international relations from London School of Economics, and an MA in nonproliferation and terrorism studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

I am most excited to work on projects that… create a policy impact, strengthen gender equities, and are inclusive in nature.

I am looking for partners who can help me… navigate government policymaking in DC on nuclear weapons issues, and collaborate on projects that help reduce dangers at the intersection of nuclear weapons and emerging technologies.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when India and the United States partner and work together on defense and intelligence issues to make the Indo-Pacific region more stable and secure, and specifically signed the 123 Nuclear Agreement.

Innovations in my field that I am most excited to work on… include understanding the future of war and how militaries prepare; reducing nuclear dangers arising from misperceptions, miscalculations, and a false sense of deterrence stability at the nexus of emerging technologies and nuclear weapons; and underwater drones, particularly their potential ability to swarm and communicate with each other and eventually hunt and detect nuclear submarines.