Hello!

I’m a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies of ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. I work in the research group called “Strategic Competition in an Age of Complexity.” In this capacity, I pursue academic research projects, supervise research assistants, and teach master’s-level courses in international security.

Prior to joining ETH, I was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. I remain involved with the Belfer Center by co-chairing the Beyond Nuclear Deterrence Working Group. This is an initiative of the MacArthur Foundation and the Project on Managing the Atom. Over 30 scholars from 18 countries are undertaking innovative studies to interrogate the longstanding strategy of nuclear deterrence.

My own research broadly focuses on the role of science and technology in international security, with a particular emphasis on the global nuclear order. I’m drafting a book manuscript on multilateral nuclear arms control and have ongoing projects on nuclear deterrence, proliferation, and disarmament. Furthermore, I am increasingly interested in public opinion on security and defense issues, the future of civilian nuclear power, and in how emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, cyber, additive manufacturing) will change the nuclear age. My research draws on archival studies, elite interviewing, and survey experiments.

Studies I have published appear in Contemporary Security Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, International Security, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, the Journal of Politics, the Nonproliferation Review, and Survival. My policy commentary has been featured in Arms Control Today, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Financial Times, Science, The National Interest, War on the Rocks, and the Washington Post/Monkey Cage.

I completed my Ph.D. with distinction in Political Science from Yale University, an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in International Relations from Knox College. Before academia, I worked for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and the Federation of American Scientists. I have worked, researched, and traveled in over 100 countries.

You can reach me at stephen.herzog@sipo.gess.ethz.ch and check out my research on Google Scholar.