James Alvarez is an M.A. candidate in International Security (Intelligence) at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. He serves as a Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent for the Department of State and as a Civil Affairs Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves with experience in crisis response, counterterrorism, and interagency security cooperation. His research focuses on partner interoperability, irregular warfare, and crisis planning to inform policy and operational integration across allied partners.
Alex Cross is a graduate student in the International Security M.A program at George Mason University. He has previously worked as a research assistant on the Conventional Firepower Index and as a Syria and Afghanistan analyst for the Global Terrorism Trends and Analysis Center in support of the State Department Country Reports on Terrorism. His research focuses on the analysis of contemporary conflicts and the effects of emerging technologies on the doctrine and capabilities of state and nonstate actors. He holds a B.A. in Government and International Politics from George Mason University.
Chantall Duval is a master’s student in the International Security program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature with a concentration in sociopolitical issues from the University of Mary Washington. Her current research interests include security relations between the United States and the Korean Peninsula, DPRK grand strategy and international law. She is currently a government contractor with the Department of Justice. After graduation, Chantall hopes to pursue a career in foreign policy and diplomacy.
Alexandra Gerbracht (née Vogel) continues her 22-year career in the Marine Corps as a combat engineer, planner, and logistician. She has studied political science, security studies, and international relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; George Washington University; Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan; and Marine Corps University as both a student, instructor, and curriculum developer. Now several years into her Ph.D. journey, Lexi’s research focuses on military cooperation and civil-military control in democratizing nations.
Aydin Guven is a PhD student in Political Science at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, majoring in International Relations and Comparative Politics. He holds a M.A. in International Relations from Istanbul Medeniyet University. His academic interests are Asia/Indo Pacific security, South Asian Politics, India’s role in the US-China power competition, India’s East Asia Policy.
Meredith Hutchens is currently pursuing her master’s in International Security at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She is also a network member at the Initiative for the Study of a Stable Peace. Her research interests include counterterrorism, intelligence, international relations, and conflict resolution with the goal of addressing today’s pressing security issues informed by economic analysis. Hutchens earned her B.S. in Economics and Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics from the College of Charleston where she was a Market Process Scholar at the Center for Public Choice and Market Process.
Xavier Isaac is a second-year graduate student in the M.A. program in International Security. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia State University with a concentration on American history. During his tenure as a student at VSU, he studied at the University of Oxford for three months as part of a study abroad semester. His research interests are U.S. foreign policy, counterinsurgency, and intelligence studies. After completing his M.A. program, he hopes to pursue a lifelong career in the U.S. Intelligence Community as an intelligence analyst.
Athen LaFoy is a M.A. student in the International Security program at George Mason University. He currently holds a BA in National Security & Intelligence and Political Science from Fairmont State University. At FSU he was an analyst team lead for the FSU Open Source Exchange Lab. His primary interests are Southern Africa and Southeastern Asia. After graduation, his goal is to be a foreign service officer for the US State Department.
Ali Mammadov is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the Schar School of Policy and Government, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a B.S. in Economics and Finance from George Washington University. His research interests focus on international security and military alliances.
Tyler Rodriguez is a graduate student pursuing an M.A. in International Security at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is currently a national security and international affairs professional with more than nine years of experience supporting Department of War on security cooperation, international cyber governance and policy, global defense cooperation initiatives, and emerging technology issues. His research interests focus on U.S. national intelligence, building partner capacity programs, and the impact of AI-enabled warfare. Tyler holds a B.S. in History and a minor in Political Science from Towson University.
Samuel Sims is currently pursuing a B.A in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Economic Management. He was a student fellow at the Center for Security Policies Studies Korea and is serving as the liaison to CSPS this semester. His academic interests include U.S. foreign policy as well as Economic Development in emerging nations. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he plans to pursue his Master’s in International Security.
Oswaldo Silva is a graduate student in the M.A. program in International Security at George Mason University. He serves as an Operations Coordinator in the Research and Programs department at the Mercatus Center at GMU, an independent research center focused on classical liberal political economy.
Previously, Oswaldo managed communications for Latin America at Students For Liberty, where he also contributed to the edited volume Después del Socialismo, Libertad, a publication examining Venezuela’s struggle for freedom. His research interests focus on hybrid security challenges and the threats posed by illiberal regimes. His commentary has appeared in The Hill.
Oswaldo holds a B.A. in International Studies from the Central University of Venezuela.
Lorena Tapias is a master’s student in the International Security program at George Mason University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Political Science from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and currently works in private security consulting. Her academic and professional interests include transnational organized crime, terrorism, and regional instability in Latin America, as well as evolving security dynamics in Eastern Asia. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in public service.
Oscar Zeyen is in his third semester of the ISEC M.A. program at GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government. Oscar was born into a German/American family in Belgium, where he lived for 18 years. His academic interests primarily lie in European security and intelligence analysis. He received a dual B.A. in History and International Relations from High Point University (HPU), and his senior thesis examined the confluence of politics and religion during the Thirty Years’ War. Prior to graduate school, Oscar worked at a North Carolina research center conducting polling for the 2016 presidential election, and he has also served as a Research Assistant for a history professor at HPU. Most recently, he was an Associate Producer covering the Pentagon for a Japan-based news organization.