Beenish Pervaiz

Beenish Pervaiz is a Research Fellow at the Project on Managing the Atom and International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Brown University and holds a Master’s in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, with a focus on International Security and Cooperation. Her research has been supported and funded by the 2023-2024 USIP-Minerva Peace & Security Scholar Fellowship and Brown University's Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia Graduate Fellowship. Beenish has contributed to international security policy with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), as a 2021 Center for Strategic and International Studies PONI Nuclear Scholar, as a youth organizing member at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and as a Summer Associate at the UN Secretariat in the Department of Field Support. She was also selected to partake in the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project (NPIHP) Nuclear History Boot Camp in 2023.

Beenish’s research interests focus on nuclear politics, military strategy, emerging technologies, and national security decision-making.  Her Ph.D. dissertation investigates the nuclear dynamics between Pakistan and India, particularly the drivers of vertical proliferation and arms buildup. Her work provides critical insights into how alliance politics and global nonproliferation constraints have shaped the qualitative growth of nuclear arsenals in the region, with a specific focus on strategic delivery systems and fissile material stockpiles.

Beenish is deeply committed to amplifying diverse voices in the field of nuclear policy and is passionate about using educational outreach to train and empower the next generation of nuclear analysts globally. In recognition of her commitment to teaching, Beenish received the P. Terrence Hopmann Award for Excellence in Teaching from Brown University's Department of Political Science in 2020. Her extensive work with archival research and expert interviews has enriched her understanding of the complex nuclear dynamics in South Asia, making her a valuable contributor to discussions on regional and global security challenges.

For more details on her academic background and research, please visit her profile on Brown University's website.