Our People

Nur Laiq 

Nur Laiq is interested in the question of how governments can promote the benefits of technological progress while also managing its challenges. Her research engages with the very first political and policy debates around our current age of tech, many of which took place in the United States in the late 20^th century. She examines the policy discourse around the aspirations and anxieties connected to the  digital economy, innovation versus regulation, industrial policy, and geopolitics. Laiq studies the public policy infrastructure that undergirds our current age of tech.

"The distinct preoccupations of our current period, around tech innovation and regulation, and the interlinkages between tech, politics, and geopolitics, can be better understood with reference to the politics and policies of the late 20^th century," says Laiq. "My work helps explain patterns of continuity and change in tech-related politics and policy making. I am keen to illuminate these trends in order to better inform future tech policy, be it at the sub-national and national level in the United States or at the supranational level at the United Nations. I hope to use my time as a fellow to publish on these topics and to engage in the public debate around tech policy futures.

"The Belfer Center is the ideal place to engage with tech, politics, and policy - pivotal issues of our time – because of its wonderful community of academic experts, and practitioners from the fields of policy, politics, industry, and technology. It is this fusion of people and ideas that makes the Belfer Center a unique intellectual space for sustained research and analysis around tech policy futures."

Anatoly Levshin 

Anatoly Levshin's research explores fundamental international security issues from the standpoint of world order. He is especially interested in studying the probable implications of the militarization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by states, especially the great powers, for patterns of strategic competition in the international system.

"During my tenure at Belfer, I plan on researching two papers on this topic," says Levshin. "The first paper will survey the risks and benefits of potential tactical and strategic uses of militarized applications of AI. States can leverage sophisticated AI systems to better identify threats, streamline allocation of scarce resources among competing strategic priorities, and devise resilient measures to oppose rivals. But routine use of such systems also invites risks, such as arms races that competitive deployment of new technologies by rival states nearly invariably initiates. How will states negotiate these opportunities and risks? In this first paper, I aim to develop concepts and frameworks for rigorously grappling with this question.

"The second paper will evaluate alternative models of arms control that states may draw on to regulate the dangers of strategic competition supercharged by competitive deployment of sophisticated AI systems. Does the history of arms control offer any insights into the requirements for building incentive-compatible regulatory architectures in the digital age? Or do policymakers need to imagine entirely new regulatory mechanisms to manage competitive deployments of militarized AI? I am excited to conduct this work at Belfer, contributing to its venerable tradition of excellence in the production of cutting-edge and policy-relevant research.”

Diana Park 

Diana Park's research agenda covers trends in international authoritarianism in cyberspace, such emerging technologies used to surveil, censor, discredit, and intimidate, and their direct impact on nonviolent civil resistance movements. Park analyzes the issue across multiple sectors and seeks to translate this research into actionable policy recommendations to a range of stakeholders as diverse as the heads of global tech companies and national security decision makers in liberal democratic countries.

"The free, democratic world, which encompasses both the public and private sectors, but also activists, influencers, and global civil society alike, has yet to provide its answer to a wicked problem of tech — how it can render the rules of the game almost limitless for authoritarians (and a growing list of democracies) as they experiment with the latest tools of surveillance, censorship, and disinformation," says Park. "The Belfer Center is a natural home for such intersectionality to take place, and I hope to leverage my time here to convene the appropriate dialogues on this topic across our community and beyond. 

"One misconception to note about nonviolent action is that it precludes conflict. In reality, nonviolence continues to be the only viable strategic response to the rise of authoritarianism in many case studies today. To this end, I believe my research can provide contributions to the ongoing scholarship of hybrid, irregular and unconventional warfare, and provide options for a democratic answer to the usurpation of cyberspace by authoritarianism in the ongoing great power competition occurring below the threshold of armed conflict." 

Anka Reuel 

Anka Reuel's research focuses on international AI governance. She aims to explore how leading AI nations like the US, the EU, and China can cooperate to ensure that AI development & deployment aligns with global stability and security, despite their differing priorities and values. 

"Given the rapid evolution of the technology and the profound impacts it can have on privacy, security, and sustainability, this area demands not only technical expertise but also a nuanced understanding of geopolitical dynamics," says Reuel. "At Belfer, I am examining the root causes of divergence in AI governance approaches between the EU, the US and China. Through this research, I hope to identify areas of potential agreement and develop strategies for technical and policy-based cooperation. I strongly believe that the Belfer Center is uniquely positioned for this work because it offers a platform that integrates insights from diverse fields like computer science, international relations, and economics—all of which are critical for addressing such a complex, interdisciplinary challenge.

"My work builds on my ongoing technical research at Stanford University, where I am a Computer Science Ph.D. student at the Stanford Trustworthy AI Research Lab and the Stanford Intelligent Systems Laboratory, and my experience working with international AI governance frameworks, including my current role as vice chair for the EU’s first General-Purpose AI Code of Practice."