Director, Engineering and Applied Sciences Department; Senior Physical Scientist
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Christopher Pernin is a senior physical scientist and director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department at RAND. He brings over two decades of experience analyzing international technology development and security implications. As former director of RAND's Force Development and Technology Program, Pernin has led numerous assessments of foreign research capabilities, technology transfer risks, and strategic technology development. His international experience includes extensive work while living in Europe and Africa, where he analyzed research institutions, technology development patterns, and cross-border scientific collaboration. Since joining RAND in 1999, Pernin has led projects examining institutional structures, strategic planning, and decisionmaking processes in research organizations across multiple countries. His expertise spans both technical assessment and policy analysis, with particular focus on identifying patterns of concerning research activities and evaluating their security implications.
Pernin serves on several NATO expert committees focused on emerging technology risks and has held editorial positions with leading scientific and security-focused journals. His earlier work at Argonne National Laboratory, where he contributed to the development of the Advanced Photon Source facility, provides him with direct insight into large-scale research infrastructure and operations. Throughout his career, he has advised multiple military and civilian agencies on science and technology security issues, serving as an ad hoc member of service scientific advisory boards and leading assessments of international research collaboration risks. Pernin holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University
Ph.D. and M.S. in chemistry, Northwestern University; B.S. in chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
