The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) conducts research, informs policy debates, and helps current and future leaders find creative solutions to complex global challenges. A rich community of faculty, researchers, and students advance CISSM’s research agenda.
CISSM Leadership
Core CISSM-Affiliated Faculty
Professor, School of Public Policy and Senior Fellow, CISSM.
Fetter is a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists board of directors, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board, and the board of editors of Science and Global Security. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control and has served on committees to assess the effects of nuclear earth-penetrating warheads, internationalization of the nuclear fuel cycle, conventional prompt global strike, geoengineering, ballistic missile defense, and nuclear forensics.
Fetter received a PhD in energy and resources from UC Berkeley in 1985 and a SB in physics from MIT in 1981.
Areas of Interest:
Nuclear arms control & nonproliferation; nuclear energy & releases of radiation; climate change; low-carbon energy supply.
CISSM Research Programs:
Nuclear Past, Present and Future
Associate Research Professor; Director, GoTech; Senior Research Associate, CISSM
Harry is a senior leader, practitioner and researcher with over 20 years of experience in intelligence and cyber operations. He holds a joint appointment with the School of Public Policy and the College of Information Studies. Harry’s research focuses on categorization and measurement of effects of cyberattack as a means of enabling policy makers to assess strategic risk and assess consequences of strategic cyber attack.
Harry holds degrees in economics and history from the University of Colorado, and was awarded a PhD in policy studies from the University of Maryland.
Areas of Interest:
International security; cybersecurity; data science; complexity theory; intelligence
CISSM Research Programs:
Assistant Research Scholar, CISSM
Petrovics research examines the effectiveness of foreign policies for addressing problems in international security, including issues of nuclear proliferation and the risks of counterproductive consequences in security strategies. Her work has been published by the Washington Quarterly, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, and Texas National Security Review, among others.
She earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Davis.
Read Ariel Petrovics' full bio
Areas of Interest:
International security; foreign policy; nuclear proliferation
CISSM Research Programs:
Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Senior Fellow, CISSM
Shifrinson is an expert on contemporary international security, his research engages broad issues of great power politics, U.S. foreign policy, and diplomatic history. Recent projects include a re-examination of the sources and consequences of NATO enlargement, U.S. policy toward Russia and China, and the evolution of American grand strategy during and after the Cold War.
Shifrinson received his B.A. summa cum laude in History and Politics from Brandeis University and his PhD in Political Science from MIT.
Read Josh Shifrinson's full bio
Areas of Interest:
Grand strategy; foreign policy; NATO; diplomatic history
CISSM Research Programs:
Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Senior Fellow, CISSM
Woldemariam’s teaching and research interests are in African security studies, with a particular focus on armed conflict in the Horn of Africa. Woldemariam’s scholarly work has been published in a wide-range of peer-reviewed journals, most recently in Contemporary Security Policy and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. His popular essays have appeared in outlets such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Current History.
He holds a BA from Beloit College, and MA and PhD degrees from Princeton University.
Read Michael Woldemariam's full bio
Areas of Interest:
African security studies; civil war and political violence; international security; human security
CISSM Research Programs:
Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Research Fellow, CISSM
His research looks into sub-state conflict, with a particular focus on the internal dynamics of non-state armed actors. Ongoing projects examine insurgent groups’ combat capability and training programs, their recruitment strategies to attract high-skilled fighters, and their civil-military relations.
He received his PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Areas of Interest:
International security; civil war & political violence; civil-military relations; military organization & effectiveness
CISSM Research Programs:
Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Research Fellow, CISSM
Her research focuses on global governance and, specifically, on the role of international organizations in global health security. Current projects examine international cooperation during global health emergencies and state compliance with the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations.
Worsnop holds a PhD in Politics from Brandeis University and a BA in government from Colby College.
Read Catherine Worsnop's full bio
Areas of Interest:
Global governance; international relations; international organizations; security studies; global health
CISSM Research Programs:
CISSM-Affiliated Ph.D. Students
| Alvin Bradbury | Alvin's research interests include human security, conflict-induced displacement in the Great Lakes Region of Africa with particular attention given to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, and multi-stakeholder approaches to global governance in humanitarian intervention. |
| Devin Entrikin | Devin's research focuses on the effects of arms embargoes and other international interventions on human security during civil conflict episodes. |
| Sanjana Gogna | Sanjana's research focuses on nuclear weapons strategy and deterrence theory. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, Gogna was a research associate at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. |
| Rachael Gosnell | Rachael's research interests include arctic and maritime security and naval strategy. She is currently assigned as a European Command Foreign Area Officer as a Special Assistant to the Commander, Allied Joint Forces Command Naples and US Naval Forces Europe/Africa. |
| Samuel Hickey | Sam's research is focused on the intersection of science and policy in the field of international security. Prior to beginning his PhD, Hickey was a research analyst at CACNP and served as the coordinator of the Fissile Materials Working Group. |
| Yixuan Luo | Yixuan's current research interests center on arms control, especially issues related to nuclear weapons and other emerging technologies. |
| Lauren Samuelsen | Lauren's current research interests include nuclear security and nonproliferation, especially within the nuclear energy industry. |
Explore the full list of CISSM affiliates here