Press Release
from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
The Cyber Project is excited to welcome five new non-resident fellows for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.
John Costello is the Chief of Staff at the Office of the National Cyber Director and an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Previously, Costello has served in a number of roles in the U.S. government, including as the Deputy Executive Director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Intelligence and Security at the Department of Commerce. Costello also served as the Director of Strategy, Policy, and Plans and Senior Advisor to the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Costello was an enlisted U.S. Navy sailor and has a working professional proficiency in Chinese Mandarin, graduating with honors from the Defense Language Institute. Costello’s fellowship will be focused on improving U.S. government collaboration with information and communications technology service providers on cyber defense and security.
Bulelani Jili is a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, as an Oppenheimer Graduate Fellow. His research interests include Africa-China relations, Cybersecurity, ICT development, Law and Development, and Privacy Law. He is also a Research Associate with the China, Law, Development project at Oxford University. His recent paper, Chinese surveillance tools in Africa, particularly discerns the exportation of Chinese surveillance technology in Africa. He has also written about the Chinese guiding cases system with Guo Li, Professor of Law and Vice Dean at Peking University Law School. Prior to attending Harvard, Jili earned an M.Phil. from Cambridge University, where he studied as a Standard Bank Africa Chairman’s Scholar. In 2016, he was awarded a Yenching Scholarship to study at Peking University, where he received a M.A. in Economics. Studying with Prof. He Yafei, former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Prof. Jiang Guo Hua, he studied Chinese global governance strategies.
Selena Larson is a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst at Proofpoint on the Threat Research team. She collaborates with fellow researchers to identify and investigate advanced threats and develop actionable threat intelligence. Previously, Larson was a Cyber Threat Analyst for the industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos, where she focused on advanced persistent threats to critical infrastructure including electric utilities, oil and gas, and manufacturing companies. Before moving to the private sector, Larson was a cybersecurity and privacy journalist, most recently at CNN. She is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her current research focuses on how global governments can better control and restrict offensive cyber operations from a national and international level and investigates whether and how existing deterrence operations and strategies are effective.
Alexa Lee is a Senior Manager of Global Policy at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) focusing on cybersecurity, privacy, and innovative technologies issues. Lee serves as the co-chair for the IT Sector Coordinating Council (ITSCC) Cyber Threat Working Group, working closely with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Lee is also an Associate Editor of the New America/Stanford University DigiChina Initiative, where she contributes analysis on Chinese ICT policies. Before joining ITI, Lee received a Prudential fellowship at the Brookings Institute’s Center for East Asia Studies, where she researched U.S.-China relations, Taiwan and Asia security, and economy issues. She interned at the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with a focus on U.S.-Asia relations. Lee holds a Master’s in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).
Calvin Nobles was recently appointed the Department Chair and Associate Professor of Information Technology and Management at Illinois Institute of Technology. Previously, he worked as a Vice President supporting Information and Cybersecurity at Wells Fargo. Dr. Nobles is a cybersecurity professional and human factors practitioner with 25 years of experience. He is a retired naval Cryptologic Warfare Officer. He is actively involved in the cybersecurity community, volunteering with multiple professional associations, conducting research, and speaking at industry and academic events on cybersecurity. He recently completed a Cybersecurity Policy Fellowship with the New America Think Tank in Washington, DC. He earned Doctorates of Philosophy in Management and Engineering Technology, Human Factors, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University.
The new fellows join Chris Krebs as the joint Homeland Security-Cyber Senior Fellow, as well as returning Cyber Project non-resident fellows Bruce Schneier, Julia Voo, Jeff Fields, Amy Ertan, Camille Stewart, Tarah Wheeler, Rob Knake, Greg Falco, Anina Schwarzenbach, and returning Senior Fellow Debbie Plunkett.