GLOBAL SECURITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor / School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Job Titles:
- Administrative Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Research Strategy
Dr. Melissa Henriksen is the Senior Director of Research Strategy in the Global Security Initiative, driving growth in the university's defense and national security research portfolio. Prior to joining the GSI, Dr. Henriksen served as Senior Scientist for Biology Exploitation at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
With a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and extensive experience across government, industry, and academia, Dr. Henriksen specializes in biodefense, scientific research and development, and strategic planning. She has also held leadership positions at the University of Virginia, including Director of Operations and Research Development at the National Security Policy Center.
Throughout her career, Dr. Henriksen has demonstrated a commitment to innovation, problem-solving, and advancing scientific research in both academic and national security contexts.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Research
Job Titles:
- Computer Scientist
- Executive Director
- Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative
- Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University
- Leader of Science and Technology
Nadya T. Bliss is the executive director of the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University. In this capacity, she leads a pan-university organization advancing research and other programming in support of national and global security.
Bliss is an experienced leader of science and technology organizations, with a track record of growing mission-focused research in the defense and higher education sectors and in-depth knowledge of the technology transition pipeline. She has more than 80 publications to her credit, holds two patents, and is a sought-after speaker around topics related to technology development and national security. She has appeared on PBS and NPR, and in the Christian Science Monitor, Axios, and CyberScoop.
Nadya T. Bliss is a computer scientist focused on national security research and engineering, with specific expertise in cybersecurity and graph algorithms. As the Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University, she leads a pan-university organization advancing research, education, and other programming at the intersection of technology and national security. GSI centers focus on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data visualization and analytics, and geopolitical strategic competition. Prior to leading GSI, Bliss spent time as Assistant Vice President, Research Strategy at ASU and a decade in various positions at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, most recently as the founding Group Leader of the Computing and Analytics Group. Bliss is a Professor of Practice and Graduate Faculty in ASU's School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence.
Actively involved in national service, she currently chairs the Computing Community Consortium. Bliss also serves on multiple National Academies engagements, including the Cyber Resilience Forum and a Standing Committee on Transformative Science and Technology for the Department of Defense. In July 2024, she was appointed as a member of the National Academies' Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board (ARLTAB) and as chair of its Panel on Assessment of Network, Cyber, and Computational Sciences. She is a past chair and current steering committee member of DARPA's Information Science and Technology Study Group.
Nathan Evans oversees GSI's daily operations and supports and advises the executive director. Prior to joining GSI in 2017, Nathan worked primarily in the international development and non-profit sectors. He was most recently the executive director of a non-profit organization. Prior to that, he served as a democracy and governance advisor in the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Middle East Bureau, and as office director for the National Democratic Institute's (NDI) West Bank and Gaza programs. He has lived and worked in West Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans. He holds a Master's Degree in international relations from San Diego State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from the University of New Hampshire.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Operations
Job Titles:
- Manager Marketing and Communication
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Research
Job Titles:
- School Director and Professor / School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director / Knowledge Enterprise Financial Services