RSIS Webinar

“National Security’s Evolving Relationship

with Science and Technology”

By

Dr Melissa K. Griffith
Senior Program Associate,

Science and Technology Innovation Program,
Wilson Centre

Dr Alice Pannier
Research Fellow and Head,

Geopolitics of Technology Programme,
French Institute of International Relations

Dr Wu Xiangning
Assistant Professor,

Department of Government and Public Administration,
University of Macao

Moderator
Dr Benjamin Herscovitch
Research Fellow,

School of Regulation and Global Governance,
Australian National University

Abstract

National security’s relationship with science and technology (S&T) is often framed in terms of S&T’s ability to contribute to defence capabilities and economic growth, or how S&T advancements pose risks to a country’s national security. What are other ways in which we should think about national security’s relationship with S&T?

At the same time, governments are also no longer the most influential players in S&T by default – how have “Big Tech” companies, start-ups, and research institutions changed the role played by governments? How are governments reacting to their evolving role, and what are the implications of this?

This webinar will explore these issues from the perspectives of China, Europe, and the United States.

About the Panellists

Melissa K Griffith is a Senior Program Associate with the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars; a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Centre for Long-Term Cybersecurity; and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown’s Centre for Security Studies. She works at the intersection between technology and national security with a specialisation in cybersecurity, semiconductors, and 5G networks. Her work sheds important light on the components and dynamics of cyber power and cyber conflict, as well as the vital role that public-private cooperation and both security and economic policy play in national defence. Griffith holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alice Pannier heads the Geopolitics of Technology program, launched at the French Institute of International Relations in October 2020, after having been associate researcher since 2019. Her research focuses on the geopolitical dimension of new technology, European technology policies, and transatlantic relations. She has also worked for a long time on European security and the foreign and defence policies of European countries, especially France and the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining Ifri, she was Assistant Professor in International Relations and European Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington (2017-2020). Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Strategic Research at the French Ministry of Armed Forces. She is a graduate of King’s College London and Panthéon-Sorbonne University and holds a doctorate in political science from IEP Paris, co-supervised with King’s College.

Wu Xiangning is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and Public Policy, University of Macau. She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research focuses on Asia-Pacific regionalisation, China-US relations, and international political economy. She has previously worked for the Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University as a research fellow and program coordinator for the MacArthur Foundation Project.

She also served as a project director for the Institute of US-China People-to-People Exchange, Peking University. Prior to joining UM, she worked as a research fellow at Sun Yat-Sen University.

Benjamin Herscovitch is a Research Fellow at the Australian National University’s National Security College and School of Regulation and Global Governance, where he focuses on China’s economic statecraft and Australia-China relations. He is a member of the ANU Working Group on Geoeconomics.

Prior to joining ANU, Benjamin was an analyst and policy officer in the Australian Department of Defence, specialising in China’s external policy and Australia’s defence diplomacy. He was previously a researcher for Beijing-based thank-tanks and consultancies. Benjamin holds a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of New South Wales (1st Class Honours and the University Medal) and a PhD in political theory from the University of Sydney.