New America’s Cybersecurity Initiative Announces its Second Class of Cybersecurity Fellows

Washington, D.C.—Today, New America’s Cybersecurity Initiative announced its 2016-2017 class of cybersecurity fellows. The fellowship is a one-year, non-resident program hosted by the Cybersecurity Initiative, a joint project between New America’s Open Technology Institute and International Security program. Over the next year, fellows will contribute to the Cybersecurity Initiative’s research or write a policy paper exploring critical issues in cybersecurity. Of the roughly two dozen fellows, about half are returnees from the 2015-2016 cohort. The fellows will contribute to New America’s growing Cybersecurity Initiative across a range of research areas, including the cybersecurity workforce, cyber attack financial risk management, and vulnerabilities markets.

The following statements may be attributed to Anne-Marie Slaughter, New America president and CEO; Ross Schulman, Cybersecurity Initiative co-director and Open Technology Institute senior counsel; and Ian Wallace, Cybersecurity Initiative co-director and International Security program senior fellow.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, New America president and CEO:

“Since its inception a year and a half ago, a central goal of New America’s Cybersecurity Initiative has been to bring the things that define New America to the cybersecurity policy conversation: looking at issues from fresh perspectives, emphasizing cross-disciplinary collaboration, committing to diversity, and producing quality research. I know this new cohort of fellows will move us toward those goals. New America is also particularly focused on extending the policy conversation outside the beltway, and I am proud the Cybersecurity Initiative has assembled a nationwide group, with fellows from North Dakota, Georgia, New Jersey, California, and elsewhere. We look forward to helping them bring their ideas to the D.C. policy conversation."

Ross Schulman, Cybersecurity Initiative co-director and Open Technology Institute senior counsel:

“Today’s cybersecurity challenges require collaboration between experts of all stripes—technologists and policy analysts, academics and practitioners, and others. The cybersecurity fellowship is designed to cultivate exactly that type of collaboration. Our network of fellows gives us the breadth and depth of expertise, but even more important than that, it provides opportunity for experts from different disciplines to engage and get to know one another. We think that is really important.”

Ian Wallace, Cybersecurity Initiative co-director and International Security program senior fellow:

“As well as supporting our in-house research on topics as varied as vulnerabilities, malware counter-proliferation, cybersecurity insurance, and state and local cybersecurity, the fellows will also bring new ideas and proposals.

Through their reports, contributions to New America’s Weekly online magazine, and Future Tense, we look forward to bring forward new and innovative thinking. And through our regular public events, including our annual cybersecurity conference on March 19 next year, and our ongoing program of roundtables and workshops, we look forward to giving the fellows’ thinking a great platform to be heard.

We are also excited to have many of our fellows involved in our work on cybersecurity workforce diversity, including our Women in Cybersecurity project and our #HumansofCybersecurity channel on Medium.”

Fellows are unpaid, but receive a modest honorarium for the papers that they write. The majority of funding for the Cybersecurity Initiative, including the cybersecurity fellows, is from the Hewlett Foundation. Microsoft, Endgame, Home Depot, Facebook, and Raytheon are also supporters of the Cybersecurity Initiative. New America is grateful for their support.