Refined working group concept for NSRI fellows program

NSRI Fellows are integral to the pursuit of the institute's mission. Each of you can play a fundamental role in finding and filling challenging national security gaps and requirements.

Based on your feedback throughout the past year, we have developed a strategy that aims to create an environment in which fellows can purposefully drive the direction and content of the program to create value and action.

At the 2023 NSRI Fellows Conference in April, Dr. Joshua Santarpia, NSRI fellows program director, launched the initial concept — NSRI Fellows working groups. We have refined the strategy with input from several NSRI fellows and staff, and following are the details.

The working groups offer you, the fellow, opportunities to enter into more specific, technical discussions with your peers. They will also allow you to activate new intellectual networks by developing educational, conceptual and research-related content, and by exploring new funding, research and collaborative prospects. The working groups are yours to use to foster and respond to opportunities for proposals, white papers and task orders within the NSRI mission space.

Nine working groups have been identified, each with an appointed NSRI staff member as co-chair. 

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Paul Brantmier, NSRI program manager

Biological Defense
Sean Kinahan, NSRI senior threat scientist

Chemical Defense
Dan Van Buren, NSRI senior scientist

Food, Agriculture, & Environment Security
Neal Woolen, NSRI associate executive director
This is an interim appointment until the director is hired

Medical Countermeasures
Neal Woollen, NSRI associate executive director
This is an interim appointment until the director is onboarded

National Security Education & Training
Joshua Santarpia, NSRI science and technology advisor and fellows program director

Radiological & Nuclear Defense
Patrick Rhoads, NSRI research director

Strategic Deterrence
Adam Lowther, NSRI director

Wearable Sensors
Thomas Mueller, NSRI research director

Along with the NSRI co-chair, fellows will elect a fellow co-chair for each group. In August we will invite you to select the working group(s) you would like to participate in, and we will accept nominations and volunteers for co-chairing the groups. We will then hold an election for the fellows co-chairs. In late September, we plan to convene all chairs for an in-person kick-off meeting. Subsequently, the working groups will begin to gather, establish goals for the year and execute.

Working groups will provide:

• New NSRI IRAD priorities (October)
• Content and speaker ideas for the 2024 Fellow Conference (April)
• At least one working group activity between October and February
• Quarterly (and as needed) updates from co-chairs

NSRI will provide:

• Strategic planning and conceptualizing
• Communication within and external to group to help reach objectives
• Brainstorming for strategies, campaigns, events, engagement activities, etc.
• Event coordination
• Network of DOD speakers
• Promotion of activities and achievements
• Materials development and printing
• Funds for all of the above
  
  

One request:

At this time, our only request is that you provide any final feedback on this strategy by the end of the day on June 30, 2023. You can do so by emailing Lisa Chudomelka.

Timeline:

We look forward to your continued input and to launching the selection of groups on August 1.