Matthew Bunn (born 1961) is an American
nuclear and energy policy analyst, currently a
professor of practice at the
Harvard Kennedy School
The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. He is the Co-principal Investigator for the
Belfer Center's Project on Managing the Atom.
Professional activities
Before coming to Harvard, Bunn served as an adviser to the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congres ...
from 1994-1996. Bunn directed the secret 1995 study on nuclear security from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). This study served as the basis for Presidential Decision Directive 41 (1995) which established U.S. government policies for securing nuclear materials.
From 1992-1996, Bunn held a position as a study director at the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
. During this time, he directed Management and Disposition of Excess Weapons Plutonium and this study became the foundation for U.S. government policy on plutonium disposition. (The creation of what is now the Office of Materials Disposition was announced the day after the report was released.)
Bunn initially suggested and helped coordinate the
Nuclear Threat Initiative
The Nuclear Threat Initiative, generally referred to as NTI, is a non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. NTI was founded in 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and philanthropist Ted Turner and describes itself as a "a nonprofit, ...
’s $1.2 million gift to the
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...
's nuclear security programs, which became the founding gift of the Nuclear Security Fund. He developed the concepts of “cold standby” and “warm standby” for Iran’s centrifuges when various forms of “suspension” of Iran’s program were being discussed and co-authored compromise proposals for resolving the dispute over Iran’s program with former Iranian deputy foreign minister
Abbas Maleki. Bunn and his colleague Anthony Wier were the first to suggest a four-year effort to secure nuclear material worldwide, a goal that was ultimately agreed to at the
2010 Nuclear Security Summit. Bunn, Wier, and
John Holdren, formerly President Obama’s science advisor, first proposed combining U.S. efforts to convert research reactors and remove HEU into a single program, which became the Global Threat Reduction Initiative.
Bunn was also an editor of ''Arms Control Today'' from 1990-1992.
Education
Bunn received his Ph.D. in Technology, Management, and Policy from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
in 2007.
Honors
*Bunn is an elected Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
*He was the 2007 recipient of the
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...
's Joseph A. Burton Forum Award for "outstanding contributions in helping to formulate policies to decrease the risks of theft of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials".
*Bunn was also the 2007 recipient of the Hans A. Bethe Award from the
Federation of American Scientists
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by a group of scient ...
for "science in service to a more secure world."
Selected publications
* Matthew Bunn, Martin B. Malin, William C. Potter, and Leonard S. Spector, eds.,
Preventing Black-Market Trade in Nuclear Technology' (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2018).
*Matthew Bunn and Scott D. Sagan, eds.
Insider Threats'. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, January 2017.
*Matthew Bunn, William H. Tobey, Martin B. Malin, and Nickolas Roth. �
Preventing Nuclear Terrorism: Continuous Improvement or Dangerous Decline?” Managing the Atom Project, Belfer Center, March 21, 2016.
*Laura Diaz Anadon, Matthew Bunn, and Venkatesh Narayanamurti, eds.
Transforming U.S. Energy Innovation' (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2014).
*Matthew Bunn and Eben Harrell.
' (Cambridge, Mass.: Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, March 2014).
References
External links
*Matthew Bunn's officia
web page
*Matthew Bunn'
speech on receiving the Hans A. Bethe Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunn, Matthew
Living people
1961 births