Joshua Byun is the 2025-2026 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow in the MIT Security Studies Program. He is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College. His research focuses on questions related to grand strategy, alliance politics, and nuclear weapons. Joshua’s first book, under contract with Cornell University Press (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs series), examines the success and failure of grand strategy in the context of military alliances. It argues that a leading power may fail to promote its desired military capabilities among smaller allies because the demands of its grand strategy clash with the risks presented to the allies by a hostile great power that is scrutinizing the alliance’s actions. When push comes to shove, allies must calibrate their military choices primarily with an eye toward how vulnerable they are to the adversary’s countermeasures, even if this means frustrating the leading power’s grand strategic plans.
Joshua’s broader research interests center on topics such as preventive war, the relationship between power politics and international norms, and the performative uses of violence by state and nonstate actors. Some of his research has appeared in outlets such as the American Political Science Review, International Studies Quarterly, Texas National Security Review, and Contemporary Security Policy. His policy commentary has been featured in forums like Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy. Joshua received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago in August 2022. Prior to beginning his academic career, he served as the personal interpreter to South Korea’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Contact: jbyun124@mit.edu | Office: NE49-3000
Dr. Florian Galleri is the 2025-2026 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow in the MIT Security Studies Program. He is a historian specializing in contemporary military and strategic studies, with a focus on nuclear deterrence and European security. He earned his PhD in Contemporary History, analyzing the European dimension of French nuclear deterrence after the Cold War. He has participated in international research programs, published on strategic issues, and taught at the University of Nantes. His work explores nuclear doctrines, Franco-European defense relations, and strategic decision-making.
Contact: galleri@mit.edu | Office: NE49-3000
Beenish Pervaiz is the 2025-2026 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow in the MIT Security Studies Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University in 2025. Her research focuses on nuclear politics, force structure development, and the influence of external actors on South Asian security dynamics. She previously served as a Predoctoral Research Fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom and the International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center from 2024 to 2025. Her work has been supported by the USIP–Minerva Peace and Security Scholar Fellowship (2023–2024) and Brown University’s Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia. She holds a Master’s in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, specializing in international security and cooperation, and has contributed to international security policy through roles with the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
Contact: bpervaiz@mit.edu| Office: NE49-3000