Deputy Director
[email protected]
Monterey, CA
831.647.4610
Activities
As Deputy Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), Jessica Varnum manages numerous CNS projects from development through implementation. She oversees a wide range of research, budget, personnel, fundraising, outreach, and strategic initiatives for CNS, involving all three office locations. Varnum also oversees CNS’s corporate partnerships. Through these partnerships, CNS works with industry to perform cutting-edge nonproliferation research using new tools and emerging technologies in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).
In addition to her expertise in OSINT, Varnum specializes in the nonproliferation and nuclear security challenges associated with the spread of nuclear energy and other civil nuclear technologies. She is also an expert on Turkey, and regularly lectures, writes, and contributes to both research and dialogue projects focusing on Turkish foreign and national security policies, and U.S.-NATO-Turkey relations.
An Adjunct Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, she teaches three classes in the MA Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program:
- NPTG 8533 – Workshop: GeospatialTools/Nonproliferation Analysis
- IPOL8675 Seminar: The Nuclear Renaissance: Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security Challenges
- IPOL8651 Seminar: Science, Technology and Nuclear Policymaking
The author of “Turkey in Transition: Toward or Away from Nuclear Weapons?” (in Forecasting Nuclear Proliferation in the 21st Century: A Comparative Perspective, Stanford University Press) and “Debating Turkey’s Nuclear Future,” (in Turkey’s Nuclear Future, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), her work also appears in the The Nonproliferation Review, Nuclear Engineering International, The International Herald Tribune, the Nuclear Threat Initiative website, and on Arms Control Wonk.
Background
Varnum previously worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Atlantic Council of the United States, and with U.S. Senators Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe.
Education
Varnum earned an M.A. in International Policy Studies with a Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a B.A. in Government and International Studies, summa cum laude, from Colby College.
CNS Work
- Celebrating Women in Nonproliferation
Women colleagues lead initiatives, publish innovative nonproliferation research, serve as mentors, and speak at conferences (or webinars, in the era of COVID-19). - Don’t Let the S-400/F-35 Challenge Ruin Relations Between Turkey and America
Neither country would be well-served by a weak NATO, undermined by Russia. - Track 2 US-Turkey Strategic Dialogue in Brussels
Participants grappled with both challenges and opportunities in U.S.-Turkey relations. - Jessica Varnum Talks Turkey on the Peter Tilden Show
CNS Deputy Director on KABC Radio on the ramifications of US withdrawal from Syria. - CNS Celebrates International Women’s Day
Celebrating the outstanding work and achievements of CNS women leaders, researchers, and staff. - Ensuring Deterrence against Russia: The View from NATO States
This CNS report analyzes key NATO states’ threat perceptions of Russia, and provides recommendations in advance of the July 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw. - New High Resolution B-Roll of North Korea Sites & Missiles
High resolution B-roll footage of North Korean nuclear sites and missiles is available for use by broadcast journalists, policy makers, and analysts. - Middle East Nuclear Race More Rhetoric Than Reality
The logic of chain-reaction proliferation in the Middle East is critically flawed. Time for a reality check on the region’s nuclear capacity. - CNS Releases Annual Nuclear Trafficking Report, 153 Incidents in 2013 Reported
CNS experts report the nature and scope of nuclear security risks prepared with support from the Nuclear Threat Initiative. - Critical Questions: Urgent Decisions for the Second Obama Administration
CNS experts propose nonproliferation and disarmament priorities.
