Jonathan Huang, PhD candidate in The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs (INTA), participated in the 15th Annual National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Science & Engineering Technology Conference, which was held at University of Maryland, College Park. The annual conference serves as a major forum that brings together representatives from the armed services, academia, and defense industries to discuss Department of Defense priorities in science and technology programs, exchange ideas on cutting-edge developments in defense technology, and demonstrate emerging concepts and capabilities.

Echoing the strategic refocus in recent years, this year’s conference focused on the development of power projection capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region in spite of the anti-access/area denial challenges. Given the current uncertain budget climate, the conference also highlighted concepts of rapid prototyping and technology demonstration that

Huang is currently working with INTA Professor Margaret E. Kosal to explore defense science and technology investment decision-making in emerging technologies and military applications of cognitive sciences research. His academic interests include international relations theory and international security issues. His research, broadly, concerns the security applications and implications of emerging technologies.