Call for Applications
What research questions are we looking for?
Historically, Visiting Research Scholars have explored numerous topics under the umbrella of nonproliferation and arms control. CMC seeks research questions that aim to elucidate current or future challenges to nonproliferation in Sub-Saharan Africa. This could include regional, state specific, or other approaches to regulation, enforcement, or other relevant nonproliferation categories. The CMC’s goal is to highlight unique perspectives from the region and amplify up-and-coming leaders who aim to work cooperatively to face nonproliferation challenges.
Who is eligible to participate?
The CMC seeks a Visiting Research Scholar from a Sub-Saharan African country who has demonstrated experience with nonproliferation issues. This could include graduate level study, work experience, or other relevant positions the applicant has held. Applicants should have experience researching nonproliferation issues and engaging with professionals, either practitioners or academics, in the nonproliferation space.
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in a relevant field or 5 years of relevant work experience
- Currently working in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Professional English Proficiency
Position Details
The VRS will be given 3 months (June to August 2024) to research his or her topic and produce both a written report and PowerPoint presentation. To view previous reports written by VRS at the CMC, visit the publications repository here. This report will be published on the CMC website and distributed to CMC’s partners across the globe. Barring any logistical issues, the CMC will sponsor the VRS to present his or her research topic in-person at Sandia National Labs and to a wider audience in Washington DC. If for any reason in-person presentations cannot take place, the VRS will have the opportunity to conduct these presentations virtually. Regarding compensation, the CMC will provide a stipend commensurate with applicant experience for the length of the commitment and pay the travel expenses related to the VRS’s travel to the US.
How do I apply?
Please fill out this form and send it to flalime@sandia.gov and kmjerma@sandia.gov along with a copy of your CV. Applications are due May 3, 2024 at 5:00 pm EST. Applications will be reviewed anonymously based on the following rubrics: work experience, research background, proposed research question, clarity of expression, and the impact of new ideas.
Cooperative Monitoring Center Information
The Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia National Laboratories strives to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and informing cooperative engagements and policies that strengthen international security. Since its founding at Sandia National Laboratories in 1994, the CMC has used cutting-edge science, engineering, and technology to build cooperative engagements around the world in order to strengthen international security. The CMC will continue to highlight the importance of science-driven collaboration for international peace and stability in the 21st century by providing a venue in which experts from around the world can explore the use of shareable technology and research to advance global strategic stability. Examples include confidence and security building measures and monitoring and verification of treaties and other agreements.
CMC Visiting Research Scholar Program
Since 1998, Sandia’s Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) has hosted a unique Visiting Research Scholars program that assembles international subject matter experts (SMEs) to conduct joint research and analyses on the policy and technology challenges related to global security concerns of the US government and its international partners. Often, the invited scholars represent opposing viewpoints, yet they share the mutual goal of examining and developing collaborative confidence building measures between their countries and within their region. While at the CMC, the Visiting Research Scholars work closely with Sandia SMEs and others to develop, promote, and implement concepts and technical cooperation within a wide range of international security issues.Simply put, the goal of the Visiting Research Scholars program is to enable regional experts to determine their own problems, to devise indigenous solutions, and to champion their implementation. Another goal—and key mission of the CMC—is the development and management of cooperative technical research projects on a host of topics.
Over the years, the Visiting Research Scholars program has engaged scholars from countries in East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, the Americas, and Central Asia on an extensive range of topics, including arms control, nonproliferation, confidence and security-building measures, border security, maritime security, and environmental management. In addition to written research, a number of studies have been successfully leveraged into real-world technical engagements and project implementations.