Margaret E. Kosal, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, is featured in a new video series on biosecurity risks and emerging technology produced by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 

The series features international experts from fields such as genetics, bioethics, international security, and microbiology and is part of SIPRI’s efforts to develop a bio-risk assessment toolkit for academics and researchers in the life sciences.  

Kosal, who earned a Ph.D. in chemistry, focuses her research on reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction and understanding the role of emerging technologies for security. She was the only expert chosen from the Western hemisphere. 

In her interview, Kosal discusses the key security challenges related to biosecurity and the importance of addressing them. 

“We need to start thinking about groups of technologies, about how these things converge, and so that, I would say, is one of the biggest challenges,” she said. 

Kosal’s involvement in the workshop and series illustrates the commitment of the Nunn School and Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts to impactful global engagement and interdisciplinary work bridging the social sciences and technology.  

Kosal emphasized the value of collaborative efforts such as SIPRI’s workshop in establishing global norms and reducing the risks surrounding emerging technologies.   

“It’s the culmination of these different efforts that build up as we go back, some of us go back to teaching, some go back to positions in governments or if they have chances to influence political actors. There’s a great value in this kind of work.”