My name is Jon Christian and I am a fellow with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in the NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP).
Before beginning the fellowship, I was the Director of Research and Outreach at the Global America Business Institute in Washington, DC. At GABI, I focused on energy concerns related to international policy, alliances, and great power competition. Specifically, I focused on understanding how nuclear energy and the energy export market can be leveraged to advance democracy and the norms-based global order while countering concerns of rising authoritarian regimes.
I am a recent graduate from the University of Georgia with a Master of International Policy. At UGA, I focused on international security, energy security, and WMD nonproliferation. I researched Russia’s energy market, the role alliances are playing in combating climate change, and the political implications of emerging technologies like synthetic biology as a weapon of mass destruction (Fall 2020) and the potential benefits and risks of advanced quantum technology (Spring 2021). My capstone project was an examination of the effects sanctions have had on North Korea’s advanced weapons program including nuclear and missile technology and their human rights abuses.
Prior to graduate school I spent nearly six years as a native English teacher in the Republic of Korea. I founded a mountain hiking club called “Outdoor Waygookins” where I organized trips around South Korea for all people with a passion for the outdoors and hiking regardless of experience or ability. I successfully summited all of South Korea’s national mountains.