Cyber Studies Programme expands its transatlantic ties

The Cyber Studies Programme in the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) is expanding its Transatlantic research ties under the Fulbright Cyber Security Award scheme.

 

Richard J HarknettProfessor Richard J Harknett, Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati, has joined DPIR and the Programme as a Visiting Research Fellow until June 2017. Prof Harknett is a recipient of Fulbright Award, which was announced in January 2015 as part of an effort to foster closer US-UK cooperation in the area of cybersecurity. The award scheme originated in a discussion between Prime Minister David Cameron and President Obama during the prime minister’s visit to the White House. During his time in the Department, Prof Harknett will work alongside DPIR’s cyber studies community exploring the organisational culture and legacies of U.S. Cyber Command. He will draw on his previous work as a scholar-in-residence in the Command, where he worked with Admiral Mike Rogers—the NSA Director and the Chief of U.S. Cyber Command—on the development of national cyber strategy.

 

 

 

Jamie Collier Jamie Collier, a DPhil student in the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security and DPIR and a Research Affiliate of the Cyber Studies Programme, will join the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a visiting student from March to July 2017. Jamie is also a recipient of the Fulbright Cyber Security Award. At MIT, he will conduct doctoral research on the diverse range of actors that provide security and examine the interactions of state and non-state players in the cyber domain. He will work under the supervision of MIT’s Professor Nazli Choucri. Jamie and the other recipients of the Fulbright Award celebrated their success in a meeting with US Ambassador Matthew Barzun at his official London residence.

Jamie looks forward to his experience, commenting: ‘I am delighted to have received this Fulbright scholarship. From a research standpoint, many of the largest IT and cybersecurity firms are based in the US and having access to these firms will certainly develop my ideas. Outside of my research, I am hoping to learn more about US culture and to travel around the country.’

 

 

Dr Lucas Kello, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Programme Director, commented on the two awards: ‘Gaps in thinking about cyber strategy and policy persist at the most elemental level. Partly, these gaps exist because of the uniquely diffused nature of the Internet, which enables threats to propagate instantaneously and almost costlessly across national borders. International cooperation is therefore vital to the neutralization of cyber threats. Perhaps no bilateral relationship is more important—and successful—in this regard than the US-UK “special relationship.” As a programme, we are very glad to put this relationship’s values to practice by welcoming Professor Harknett in Oxford and by supporting Jamie’s visit to Boston.”

 

Dr Lucas Kello is Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Director of the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs, Co-Director of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security (Dept of Computer Science)
Dr Richard J. Harknett is (Former) US-UK Fulbright Scholar in Cybersecurity, Cyber Studies Visiting Research Fellow; Associate Member, Exeter SCR
Jamie Collier is a DPhil student at DPIR