Major: Data Science & Social Systems
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Thesis Advisors: Dr. Colin Kahl and Dr. Abby Fanlo

Tentative Thesis Title: An Empirical Assessment of Psychological Bias and Meaningful Human Control in AI-Assisted Weapons Targeting

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? As AI decision-support systems have grown in use by militaries, especially in the domain of target recognition, it becomes increasingly important to evaluate whether existing internal governance structures are sufficient enough to ensure that the pressures of technology adoption are not upending the rules of war. While human-in-the-loop frameworks are widely purported to remedy the risk of false positives, their efficacy is suggested to be often undermined by automation bias and other emergent psychological factors inherent to human-computer interaction. Rather than speculating just on the hypothetical risks of AI in targeting, my thesis hopes to provide an evidentiary assessment of these concerns through a controlled behavioral experiment that measures the “responsibility gap” in real-time, informing future trust and safety protocols and responsible technology integration in national security contexts. 

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? As an inherently interdisciplinary institution within Stanford, CISAC stands as a bridge between the center of global innovation and the world’s most pressing international security challenges. As these domains evolve in tandem, the opportunity to draw from CISAC’s position at their intersection is essential for understanding how emerging technologies reshape global stability. I have already learned so much from graduates in prior CISAC cohorts, and I am eager to contribute to a community of students eager to leverage their passions for the future of international security. 

Future aspirations post-Stanford: After pursuing graduate studies in public policy and law, I intend to work on modernizing the global governance of dual-use technologies, centering my work on the interplay between algorithmic trust, national security, and civic society. 

A fun fact about yourself: I’ve probably watched The Devil Wears Prada over 100 times.

Major: Political Science
Minor: Data Science
Hometown: India
Thesis Advisor: Michael Allen

Tentative Thesis Title: Investment-Treaty Spillovers, Contagion, and Diversion

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Bilateral investment treaties are meant to reassure foreign investors that states will honor commitments, protect property, and resolve disputes through rules rather than coercion. If a violation by one host state changes how investors perceive other, uninvolved hosts, then treaty breaches can generate broader spillovers: they may undermine confidence in similar states, weaken the stabilizing role of legal institutions, or redirect capital toward states seen as safer substitutes. This matters for cooperation because it reveals that compliance and defection are not purely local events; they can reshape expectations across the wider investment regime. By explaining when violations produce contagion versus diversion, the project helps us understand how international economic order is maintained, how reputations travel through networks, and how legal institutions affect the distribution of risk, trust, and cooperation across states.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I want to pursue an honors thesis at CISAC for two reasons. First, CISAC’s policy-oriented environment would help me keep my research connected to real strategic problems rather than treating theory as purely abstract. My project is about how actors interpret credibility, reputation, and risk, so it is important to develop it in a space where academic arguments are tested against practical security concerns. Second, CISAC’s interdisciplinary community would strengthen the project. As a political science student, it is easy to remain siloed within the social sciences, but international security increasingly requires engagement with fields such as economics, nuclear studies, climate, biology, and emerging technology. CISAC offers a setting where scholars approach security from different methods and disciplines while remaining focused on a common set of international security problems.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: As someone from India, I hope to spend a gap year after graduation traveling across the country and getting to know it more deeply. I have studied India in the classroom, but I would love to spend a full year engaging with it firsthand across different regions, communities, and ways of life.

A fun fact about yourself: This may sound nerdy, but I can rap the entire periodic table.

Major: International Relations
Hometown: Plano, TX
Thesis Advisor: Daniel Sneider

Tentative Thesis Title: South Korean Defense Tech Ecosystem

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Advances in South Korea's defense technology sector raise broader questions about how emerging military technologies reshape alliance structures, regional competition, and international cooperation. Examining South Korea's evolving role within the broader U.S.-China strategic environment can contribute to a better understanding of the security and economic implications of defense innovation in the Indo-Pacific.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I was attracted to the CISAC Undergraduate Honors Program because it offers the opportunity to conduct rigorous, policy-relevant research on important international security issues while working closely with faculty mentors. I am excited by the chance to contribute to research with real-world relevance and to learn from the different perspectives and projects of other students in the cohort. I believe the program will strengthen my research skills and deepen my understanding of the complex security challenges facing the international community.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I hope to pursue a career in the Foreign Service or a similar international role that allows me to engage with global challenges while continuing to explore different regions, cultures, and perspectives around the world.

A fun fact about yourself: I've collected North Korean chocolate snacks made in Wonsan, North Korea!

Major: Human Biology
Minor: International Relations
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Drew Endy and Dr. David Relman

Tentative Thesis Title: Disease and Despots: Authoritarian Usage of Biological and Chemical Agents in Past, Present, and Future

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? During the Cold War, the Soviet Union began a covert biological weapons program termed "Biopreparat", that employed tens of thousands of scientists to engineer pathogens for use in wartime. Since then, advances in science and technology have made it possible for far more bad actors to create chemical and biological weapons (CBW) simply by synthesizing them in the lab. Authoritarian regimes, such as in Syria and North Korea, have previously used chemical warfare agents within their regimes to target civilians and conduct assassinations. It is critical to understand how and why authoritarian leaders disobey international treaties to deploy these CBWs against internal enemies and innocent people. My thesis aims to analyze how leaders have historically used these weapons to deter opposition, punish dissent, and consolidate authority, while mapping future aspirations of regimes to use these weapons for novel purposes.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I have always been fascinated by the question about how we should govern powerful technologies in an era of great power competition. The CISAC Honors Program gives me an opportunity to combine my interests in science and technology, law, and international security. I am excited about the prospect of deepening my research and writing skills among a cohort of students dedicated towards shaping international security and cooperation. Global security discourse requires us to consider both old threats and new, and I hope the skills and experiences I gain in my time with CISAC will carry me through the rest of my academic and professional career.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I hope to graduate law school and work in law and/or policy around regulating technology innovation.

A fun fact about yourself: I'm a black belt in tae kwon do!

Major: Computer Science
Minor: International Relations
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Thesis Advisor: Andrew Grotto

Tentative Thesis Title: Strategic Convergence or Autonomy? Explaining EU-US Alignment and Divergence in Critical Digital Technology De-Risking from China

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Studying economic security, technology competition, and alliance dynamics proves critical to the field of international security as global markets and geopolitical competition grow increasingly interconnected. In recent years, Western actors — such as the United States and European Union — have grown more alert to the national security risks posed by economic dependence on China for critical infrastructure and advanced technologies. A few years ago, the EU adopted its strategy of “de-risking” to manage its excessive technological and market dependencies on China without severing complete economic ties. While emerging scholarship has clarified where the EU and US diverge in their de-risking strategy and institutional differences in how the EU and US de-risk, it stops short of addressing a key gap: what conditions drive the EU and US’s divergence in “de-risking” across different sectors despite broadly sharing similar threat perceptions and transatlantic objectives on economic competition with China? Addressing this question will have key implications for international security. Economic statecraft succeeds better through multilateral action, and if the US can better understand why and when the EU chooses to diverge in its de-risking strategies, then Washington can calibrate its diplomacy and transatlantic strategy in economic competition accordingly.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? During our Face of Battle SoCo course with Professor Sagan and Professor Weiner, our cohort attended a joint dinner with the 24-25 CISAC honors cohort. There, I caught a glimpse of the tight-knit camaraderie of the group that has since then kept me excited about the prospect of joining the CISAC honors program. I am looking forward to rigorously studying a topic under the guidance of individualized mentorship, learning about diverse security areas from my peers, and undertaking a unique academic endeavor during my last year on campus!

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I hope to attend law school and ultimately pursue a career at the intersection of economics, international security, and technology.

A fun fact about yourself: I can do the worm!

Major: International Relations
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Thesis Advisor: Scott Sagan

Tentative Thesis Title: Evaluating Chinese Firms’ Agency in Supplying Dual-Use Goods to Pyongyang’s Missile Program

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? While Pyongyang's nuclear development is the subject of major international scrutiny, its acquisition and development of the ballistic missiles delivering such warheads receives comparably little attention. Indeed, lacking these delivery vehicles, Pyongyang's nuclear deterrent would be rendered practically ineffective. Given the importance of Chinese dual-use industrial goods to Pyongyang's ballistic missile program, examining manufacturing firms' agency in supplying these goods will test the assumption underpinning U.S. and international strategy that sanctioning Chinese firms can meaningfully constrain Pyongyang’s missile development. Understanding the patterns behind Pyongyang's ballistic missile procurement networks can help U.S. policymakers reevaluate how to best address them.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? The CISAC Honors Program offers me an unparalleled opportunity to conduct in-depth research on a topic I care deeply about. Pyongyang is difficult to understand by design, and its acquisition of dual-use goods for its nuclear delivery systems is central to the evolving threat it poses to U.S. interests. Establishing the role that Chinese firms play in supplying Pyongyang with dual-use goods integral to these systems is even more difficult and requires time, structure, and rigor — all of which the CISAC Honors Program provides.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I aspire to a career in U.S. national security policymaking focused on North Korea and China, where I can apply evidence-based insights gained via projects like this one to better advance U.S. interests.

A fun fact about yourself: I am a huge 49ers fan and have not missed a game on TV in years!

Major: Political Science
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Thesis Advisor: TBD

Tentative Thesis Title: Crypto, Fintech, and the next wave of proliferation finance

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? I believe that the growth of crypto and fintech as alternative forms of currency will impact how state and non-state actors are able to move value outside of conventional banking channels and evade the international financial system. When these systems contribute to military technology or nuclear proliferation that threat gets much larger.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I became interested in CISAC through the course Technology, National Security, and Sustainability in the fall and an my TA for the class who was a CISAC alumni. I am excited to learn from my peers with such diverse interests and look forward to the mentorship and instruction from such accomplished professors as well.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I hope to work in some sort of regulatory role for WMD's whether that is alongside the US government or in an international organization. I hope that my research deepens my interests and helps guide my plans post-Stanford.

A fun fact about yourself: My great-grandfather built Los Alamos.

Major: Management Science and Engineering
Minor: Military History
Hometown: Kharkiv, Ukraine
Thesis Advisor: Joseph Felter

Tentative Thesis Title: Ukraine's Startup Arsenal: How a Wartime Innovation Ecosystem is Redefining Defense Tech and Challenging the U.S. Venture Capital Model

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first large-scale conflict where commercial technology startups are playing a decisive role on the battlefield. How nations innovate under threat — and how fast they can translate ideas into deployed capabilities — is becoming a core determinant of military outcomes. Yet we lack rigorous frameworks for comparing wartime versus peacetime innovation ecosystems. Understanding what makes Ukraine's defense tech model so agile has direct implications for U.S. security strategy: if America's peacetime VC model is too slow for modern warfare, that makes it one of the more pressing open questions in security studies right now.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? My research sits across international security, technology policy, and venture capital in a way that doesn't belong cleanly in any single department. CISAC is the one place where that's a feature, not a problem. Beyond the interdisciplinary fit, I'm planning to conduct primary interviews with defense tech founders, investors, and government officials — and that kind of access requires institutional credibility. CISAC's reputation in the security studies community makes those conversations possible, and the mentorship from faculty who've worked on these issues in practice is something I can't get anywhere else at Stanford.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I want to end up somewhere I can actually use this — ideally connecting Ukrainian defense companies to Western capital, or advising on the policy side of how the U.S. thinks about allied innovation. I'm genuinely uncertain whether that looks like a fund, a think tank, or something in government. But the through-line is the same: I want to be useful to Ukraine's long-term security, and I think the most leverage I personally have is at the intersection of capital and strategy.

A fun fact about yourself: I'm a certified scuba diving instructor — which, combined with studying wartime drone technology, makes for an interesting range of things that can go wrong underwater.

Major: Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Thesis Advisor: Gerald Fuller

Tentative Thesis Title: Uranium Enrichment Scaling for 2050: Supply Chains and Specialized Manufacturing

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? As global energy demand rises alongside geopolitical tensions and decarbonization efforts, nuclear energy and its fuel supply chains are becoming increasingly central to international security. The United States’ push for uranium independence from Russia and expanded nuclear capacity highlights broader vulnerabilities in critical energy infrastructure and industrial supply chains. Analyzing the bottlenecks and scalability of enrichment infrastructure is critical for assessing whether states can meet energy and security goals, and for understanding how nuclear supply chains will influence global power dynamics in the coming decades.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I have spent most of my time at Stanford working as a Chemical Engineering student with the purpose of doing engineering for nuclear fuel cycle when I graduate, but I have long held an interest in international security, especially as it relates to nuclear fuel. I initially thought the time to get involved in policy would come later in life, but CISAC honors offers an ideal opportunity to expand my skills and apply what I have learned in engineering to security.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I will work in engineering for nuclear fuel cycle after college. Then, I plan to shift to use my engineering background and skills to shape international policy on nuclear fuel cycle.

A fun fact about yourself: I've been to 47 states, and hopefully I'll get the last three soon!

Major: International Relations
Minor: Spanish
Hometown: St. Albans, MO
Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Cohen

Tentative Thesis Title: How does trial procedure and management compare between the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)?

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Global stability and multilateral partnership hinges not only upon the outbreak and course of conflict, but its aftermath. In post-conflict societies, internal security issues trigger broader consequences on other states, NGOs, and IGOs. Sustainable resolution depends upon transitional justice initiatives, notably the implementation of international and hybrid tribunals, to reinforce the rule of law by prosecuting war criminals and fostering reconciliation in countries recovering from mass atrocities. External involvement in such tribunals legitimizes their efforts amongst the global community and generates outside support in contributing personnel and funding. Two salient examples of these tribunals are the ICTY and ECCC, with varying levels of civil and common law influence and therefore different approaches to trial procedure and management. Their design must be critically evaluated, down to the very courtroom standards. Contrast in systems will highlight differences in handling crimes, crime sites, defendants and witnesses, and the role of judges versus prosecutors. This analysis informs methods of problem-solving domestic and international tensions in transitional societies, with implications for long-term accountability and peace-building.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I was drawn to CISAC because of its interdisciplinary approach bridging individual and collective scholarship. Working closely with this program will equip me to navigate the unique challenges of post-conflict reconciliation alongside fellow researchers exploring a wide range of topics. With CISAC centered in the heart of Silicon Valley, student interests range from foreign diplomacy and nuclear warfare to entrepreneurship and technology. This broadened scope deepens my investigation of transitional justice with multifaceted insights, aligning personal academic learning with real-world impact.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: My dream is to become an international human rights and criminal lawyer in post-conflict societies in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Upon graduation, I will research, study, and/or serve abroad for two years. After law school, my plan is to work as a public advocate for an NGO or IGO, litigating on behalf of victims, prosecuting war criminals, conducting advocacy campaigns, and fact-finding.

A fun fact about yourself: I co-host a podcast called “Daily Vitamins” about sharing perspectives of faith and philosophy between students and faculty on campus.

Major: Political Science
Minor: Art History
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Thesis Advisor: Amy Zegart (prospective advisor)

Tentative Thesis Title: Early-stage security failures in Israeli intelligence that led to the tragedy of October 7th

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Answering the question of why such secure systems can suddenly erode or miss important messaging and slight breaches in a system, will make the world more secure, and promote more peace as a result. It will help understand how our world will have to adapt to growing technology in order to protect homeland security.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? I was drawn to CISAC’s mission to address one of the most pressing challenges today: security. I’m especially excited by CISAC’s unique network, which brings together individuals across disciplines who all share the common goal of advancing security which I believe is special and unique. 

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I’m drawn to work at the intersection of cybersecurity, defense, strategy, and international security, where business innovation can drive meaningful impact.

A fun fact about yourself: I love spy movies and political thrillers.

Major: Physics/International Relations/Mathematics
Hometown: Edina, MN
Thesis Advisor: Noah Kurinsky

Tentative Thesis Title: Monitoring Nuclear Reactors with Neutrinos

Why is this topic important to the field of international security? Neutrinos are sometimes known as “ghost particles” because of their low interaction rate, or cross section, with matter. Produced in large quantities by fission reactions, neutrinos may be a particularly attractive candidate for reactor safeguards because a proliferator cannot prevent their signature from being released. Recent advances in quantum sensing techniques have opened up the possibility of using neutrino detection to bolster the nonproliferation regime—with near- and far-field monitoring of known or unknown nuclear reactors, enhanced detection of nuclear tests, and detection of plutonium breeder blankets.

What attracted you to the CISAC undergraduate honors program? The CISAC honors program offers a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the policy implications of cutting-edge scientific research and to combine my interests in physics and international relations.

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I hope to pursue a PhD in physics, while maintaining a focus on policy applications.

A fun fact about yourself: I know over 2,000 cities in the U.S. and over 2,000 cities outside of the U.S.