2013-14 Sam Nunn Security Fellows

  • David Anderson

    David Anderson is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to attending Georgia Tech, David completed his BS in Mechanical Engineering at NC State University in 2005 and worked as a product development engineer at Caterpillar, Inc. for 5 years. He is currently a research assistant in Dr. Andrei Fedorov's Multiscale Integrated Thermofluidics Laboratory and during his tenure at Georgia Tech has conducted research at Air Force Research Laboratory and RTI International. David's Ph.D. research involves the design of a novel chemical reactor for low-temperature distributed hydrogen production from natural gas. As a Sam Nunn Fellow, David plans to extend his Ph.D. research by exploring the policy implications of the emergence of domestic shale gas on energy security, public health and the economy.

  • Marchello Cavitt

    Marchello Cavitt is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of Louisville and then a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. His current research interests involve methodology development and natural product synthesis. During his tenure as a Sam Nunn Security Fellow, Marchello is interested in examining the policies and impact of austerity on fundamental research.

  • Brandon Goodwin

    Brandon Goodwin is currently a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Material Science & Engineering at Georgia Tech. In 2010, he received his Bachelors of Science from the University of Tennessee, with honors, in Material Science & Engineering. His current research if focused on understanding how to apply conformal inorganic coatings to 3D bio-organic templates, and how to convert such coated templates into inorganic replicas, so as to generate intricate, hierarchical macro-to-micro-to-nanoscale) structures with tailorable adhesion properties. As a Sam Nunn Security Fellow, Brandon is eager to study how engineers may inform policy, particular in the area of renewable energy and energy security.

  • Nigel Gr
    International Affairs

    A graduate student in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Nigel enjoyed a multifaceted career before coming to Tech. Two years in Central Africa as a customs officer; studying German at Edinburgh University; pilot training with the British RAF; an air traffic controller with the Australian government; training as an infantry officer with the Australian Army during Vietnam; a 20-year career as a mainframe systems engineer with IBM and Univac that spanned the globe; and then law school in San Diego. Between legal assignments in the US and overseas, Nigel spent three years in The Bahamas running an NGO dedicated to teaching better nutrition in an effort to reduce the pandemic of Diabetes II. In addition to a BS and Juris Doctor, Nigel has three Masters in Law degrees and an MFA from the University of Miami. Formerly a British and Australian subject, he is now a naturalized US citizen.

    Nigel studied law at Salzburg University and in Mexico City, from where he published a seminal treatise on Mexican tax law. As a lawyer licensed in California and England specializing in international tax havens and federal taxation, Nigel recently assisted US taxpayers to navigate the IRS offshore tax amnesty program. A student of EU law and a German scholar, he hopes to use his international experience within the ambit of the Fellowship to effect changes in US Policy, especially in the area of Security and Anti-Terrorism.

  • Alexa Harter
    Quantum Information Systems Group, Georgia Tech Research Institute

    Alexa Harter is Head of the in the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Quantum Information Systems Group. Her group’s primary research thrusts include: engineering experimental systems for quantum computation and quantum simulation; developing scalable microfabricated ion traps; investigating the physics of trapped ions; and quantum computing architectures. Alexa received her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology. She joined the Georgia Tech Research Institute in 2000. After working in the design of magnetic metamaterials, she moved into the emerging field of quantum information science. In 2010, Alexa won the Georgia Tech Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development.

  • Nelson Lourenco

    Nelson is a Ph.D student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. He received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and M.Sc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2009 and 2012, respectively. His current research interests include HBT device physics, extreme environment operation, and predictive circuit-level radiation effect modeling for advanced SiGe BiCMOS technologies. Nelson previously worked at the Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Research Center, where he worked on optimizing RIE/ICP, PECVD, and photolithographic process flows for the development of SU-8 optical waveguides. As a Sam Nunn fellow, Nelson is interested in studying the impact of ITAR and policy issues on space exploration, technology development, and energy security.

  • Nazanin Masoodzadehgan
    Medical Physics

    Nazanin is a 5th year PhD student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. She earned her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with highest honor from Georgia Tech and then received a M.S. in medical physics. Her current research involves developing nanotechnologies for imaging early stage diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis. As a Sam Nunn Fellow, Nazanin is interested in using her research expertise to provide advice to CDC in developing agency policy and legislative strategy.

  • Alyse Taylor

    Alyse Taylor is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. She earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M University in 2010. She received her M.S. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Public Policy from Georgia Tech in the Spring of 2013. Her research focuses on the electric grid, distributed generation, and energy policy. As a Sam Nunn fellow, Alyse hopes to study energy security and policy and how they affect the implementation clean energy technologies in the U.S.

  • Rish Vaidyanathan

    Rish is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Rish has a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from University of Madras, and a MS in environmental engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Rish’s current research focusses on the environmental and health impact of extreme heat events. Now as a Sam Nunn fellow, he hopes to study consequences of changing climate and its global implications on air quality and health.

  • Paolo Vega Behar

    Pablo Vega-Behar is a Ph.D. student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. He received a B.S. and M.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. His current research focuses on investigating the feasibility of different retrofit techniques to minimize earthquake damage in older reinforced concrete buildings. As a Sam Nunn Fellow, Pablo is interested in studying the relationships between monetary policy and infrastructure development, and their impact on the quality of urban growth and planning.