February 22, 2017
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) deeply mourns the passing of our colleague Dr. Lawrence Scheinman. Dr. Scheinman served as co-director of the CNS Washington, DC, office at the time of its creation and later held the title of Distinguished Professor, before retiring from CNS in 2012.
Dr. Lawrence Scheinman
Dr. Scheinman – Larry to all of his many friends – through an exceptional career in academia and government was a major contributor in shaping the field of nonproliferation studies and key elements of U.S. nonproliferation policy. His authoritative works on the French nuclear weapon program and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are classics in the literature in this field. And his efforts while in the U.S. government and at the IAEA to strengthen international nuclear inspections and to restrain the production of weapons-usable plutonium are legacies of enduring importance.
Larry was deeply involved in nuclear-related matters as an academic and as a government and international organization official for 25 years. During his long association with Cornell University, he was appointed Professor of Government (International Law and Relations) and Associate Director, Peace Studies Program. Previously, he was a tenured member of the faculties of political science at UCLA and the University of Michigan.
In government, during the Clinton Administration, he served as Assistant Director for Nonproliferation and Regional Arms Control at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Earlier in his career, he served as Senior Policy Analyst and Head of the International Policy Planning Office in the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration; as Principal Deputy to the Deputy Undersecretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology; and as a special assistant to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
To those of us who had the privilege of working with him, Larry was a gracious and engaging colleague, whose gentle manner masked his admirable tenacity in advancing the nonproliferation agenda.
He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues in the United States and abroad.
Dr. William C. Potter
CNS Founding Director
Leonard S. Spector
Executive Director of the CNS Washington, DC office
