Meet the team
Samantha Bradshaw, Director
Dr. Samantha Bradshaw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Policy & Global Security in the School of International Service at American University. Her research and public writing examine issues around technology, democracy, and security, including disinformation and foreign influence operations. As a leading expert on new technologies and democracy, Dr. Bradshaw’s research has been featured in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and Bloomberg Magazine, and she has published in several academic journals, including New Media & Society, Political Communication, and the International Journal of Communication. Dr. Bradshaw obtained her D.Phil. from Oxford University in 2020 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University.
William Akoto, Director of Research
William Akoto's research is primarily focused on examining the dynamics of interstate cyber conflict, particularly how states leverage cyber and other emerging technologies in the pursuit of national security objectives. Beyond this central theme but related to it, he also studies the political economy dynamics of international trade and military coups with a focus on the broad links between the global economy and the domestic political environment. His work has appeared in various leading journals and edited volumes.
Trey Herr, Managing Director
Trey Herr is an Assistant Professor in the department of Foreign Policy and Global Security at SIS. His research looks at the confluence of cybersecurity, technology markets, and national security including the power of non-state groups in cyberspace, the proliferation of offensive cyber capabilities, and the politics of technology design and security governance. Outside of AU, Trey is Senior Director of the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council. He previously worked as a Senior Security Strategist with Microsoft and held fellowships with the Hoover Institution and Harvard Kennedy School. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Financial Times, Reuters, ProPublica, Foreign Policy, War on the Rocks, and Lawfare. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from George Washington University and a B.S. in Musical Theatre and Political Science from Northwestern University.
Our Staff
Sarah Wydra, Program Specialist
Kate Munro, Program Specialist
AU Faculty Fellows
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Joshua Rovner
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
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Tongtong Zhang
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
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Nanette Levinson
PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
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Kurt Braddock
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
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Melanie Teplinsky
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW
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Eric Novotny
HURST SENIOR PROFESSORIAL LECTURER, EMERITUS, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
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Tricia Bacon
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
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Patrick Wu
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COMPUTER SCIENCE
Non-Resident Fellows
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Gabrielle Lim
Gabrielle Lim is a Doctoral Fellow at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, researching the intersection of technology, security, and global governance. Her work examines how emerging technologies in outer space and cyberspace shape international relations, conceptions of sovereignty, and the global commons. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. You can read more about her at gabriellelim.com.
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Adam Fivenson
Adam Fivenson is a writer, researcher and speaker focused on global trends in democracy, technology and the information environment. He leads the research portfolio on information manipulation by authoritarian powers at the National Endowment for Democracy’s think tank, the International Forum for Democratic Studies and is an individual member of the FIMI ISAC. Previously, Adam advised nonprofit, government, and business leaders around the globe in technology and data strategy, and led the design of award-winning tech tools to improve the quality of democratic governance and stop corruption.
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Dean Jackson
Dean Jackson is the principal of Public Circle, LLC, a research consultancy specializing in democracy, technology, and media. Previously, he was an inaugural Tech Policy Press reporting fellow and an investigative analyst with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Jackson has more than ten years of experience in nonprofit research, including two at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and eight at the National Endowment for Democracy.