Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley

Office Address: George Mason University, School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, MSN 3F4, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444, USA
Telephone: (Office) +1 (703) 993-1109
Fax: (Office) +1 (703) 993-1399
Email: sbenouag@gmu.edu

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

August 2014 to Present
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Biodefense Program, School of Policy, Government and International Affairs
Associate Professor

August 2008 to May 2014
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Biodefense Program, Department of Public and International Affairs
Assistant Professor

May 2010 to Present
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Center for Global Studies
Associate Faculty Member

October 2011 to Present
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Department of History and Art History
Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS)
Affiliate Faculty

2001-2008
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Washington, D.C.
Senior Research Associate/Senior Program Manager

2004-2007
Johns Hopkins University
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
Adjunct Professor

1999-2001
Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Senior Research Associate and Director of Research (Almaty Office)

1998-1999
Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA.
Post-Doctoral Fellow

1997-1998
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris, France.
Principal Investigator
Conducted a study on the restructuring of the Russian defense industry based on extensive interviews of defense enterprise directors, regional, municipal, and military authorities, and professors in local universities in 20 Russian cities.

1995-1996
Advanced School of Economics (ASE), Moscow, Russia
Under a grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I organized the exchange of Economics professors between the ASE and European Universities.

Education

School of Advanced Social Sciences (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales – EHESS), Paris, France (1994-1998)
Ph.D. in Economics of Development
Dissertation: The Conversion of the Russian Defense Industry: A Regional Analysis. Defended, January 1999 with “High Honors and Congratulations.”

School of Advanced Social Sciences (EHESS), Paris, France (1992-1993) Postgraduate Degree in Economics of Development (DEA)
Dissertation paper: Defense Industry Conversion and Russia’s New Military Doctrine.

School of Advanced International Studies, (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Internationales) Paris, France (1991-1992)
Postgraduate Degree in Strategy and Defense Policy (DES)
Dissertation paper: Disarmament and the Conversion of the Defense Industry in Russia (Published by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in 1993).

California State University, Fullerton (1990)
Studies in microeconomics and the administration of international organizations as exchange student from Paris X University, Nanterre, France.

University of Paris X, Nanterre, France (1988-1989)
Masters in Applied Foreign Languages (Triple major in foreign languages —Russian, English, French— Economics, and Law).

University of Paris X, Nanterre, France (1984-1988)
Dual undergraduate degrees in Applied Foreign Languages and English Literature.

Publications

Book and Book Chapters

Barriers to Bioweapons: The Challenges of Expertise and Organization for Weapons Development, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, (KW Publishers, New Delhi, India, 2016)
Reprint of my book originally published by Cornell University Press.

Barriers to Bioweapons: The Challenges of Expertise and Organization for Weapons Development, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, (Cornell University Press, 2014.)

“Life inside the Soviet Biological Warfare Program,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, in Biological Threats in the Twenty First Century, Filippa Lentzos (ed.), (Imperial College Press, London, Forthcoming.)

“Minatom’s Regional Strategy,” in James Clay Moltz, Vladimir Orlov, and Adam Stulberg, eds., Preventing Nuclear Meltdown: Managing Decentralization of Russia’s Nuclear Complex (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2004): 64-78.

Contributed several chapters and sections in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001).

• “The Specifics of Soviet Defense Enterprises,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 106–121.
• “Economic Conception of Conversion,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 142–145.
• “Consequences of the Reforms,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 356–365.
• “U.S., France, and Great Britain vs. Russia,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 504–527.
• “The Decision-Making Process,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 598–615.
• “Criteria of Success and Failure,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 616–631.
• “Restructuring vs. Conversion,” in Vlad Genin, ed., The Anatomy of the Russian Defense Conversion (Stanford: Vega Press, 2001): 632–639.

“Russian Regional Defense Conversion, 1992-1993,” in Theodore Karasik, ed., Russia and Eurasia Armed Forces Review, 1992-1993 (Gulf Breeze, FL: Academic International Press, 2000).

“Case Studies: Regional Comparison” (Etudes de Cas: Comparaisons Regionales),” chapter 8 in Pouvoirs et industries de defense en Russie, Sonia Ben Ouagrham, CREST Ecole Polytechnique, Documentation Francaise, 1997 (in French).

Refereed Journal Articles

“Distributive Justice and Treaty Efficiency: Impact of Dual-use Research Restrictions on BWC Implementation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, International Negotiation, Vol. 19, no. 3, (November- December, 2014): 543-569

“Restricted Science” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley and Shannon Fye, Frontiers in Public Health (September 24, 2014)

“Dissuading Biological Weapons Proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Contemporary Security Policy, December 2013.

“Dual-Use Research and the Myth of Easy Replication,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Journal of Disaster Research, Special Issue on Dual-Use Research published in English and Japanese, Vol. 8, No.4, (August 2013): 705-713.

“Banking on Nonproliferation: Improving the Implementation of Financial Sanctions,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Nonproliferation Review, Vol. 19, No. 2 (July 2012): 241-265.

“Barriers to Bioweapons: Intangible Obstacles to Proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, International Security, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Spring 2012): 80-114.

“The Social Context Shaping Bioweapons (Non)proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley and Kathleen M. Vogel, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science, Vol. 8, No. 1 (March 2010): 9-24.

“Breaking Out of the CTR Mold?” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, vol. 66, no. 1 (January 2010): 12-17.

“The Soviet Anti-Plague System: An Introduction,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Alexander Melikishvili, and Raymond A. Zilinskas, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, vol. 32, no. 1 (2006): 15- 17.

“Growth of the Anti-Plague System During the Soviet Period,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, vol. 32, no. 1 (2006): 33-46.

“What Non-Proliferation Policy for the Soviet Anti-Plague System?” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Alexander Melikishvili, and Raymond A. Zilinskas, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, vol. 32, no. 1 (2006): 65-67.

“Conversion of Russian Chemical Weapons Production Facilities: Conflicts with the CWC,” Nonproliferation Review, vol. 7, no. 2 (July 2000): 44-62.

Non-refereed Articles and Monographs

“The Bioweapons Convention: A New Approach,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November 24, 2015.

“Technological Advance, Proliferation Potential, and the Unsuitability of Bioweapons as a Deterrent,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 30, 2015.

“Bioweapons Are Not Alternatives to Nuclear Weapons,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 20, 2015.

“A Man Named Guenna,” Kathleen Vogel, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Slavomir Grunberg, and Slava Paperno, Cultures (a publication of the American Society for Microbiology), Vol. 1, no.3, (Autumn 2014): 75-85.

“Bioweapons Alarmism in Syria,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Online, October 4, 2013.

“On not Falling Prey to Biological Weapons Alarmism in Syria,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Pandora Report, September 6, 2013.

“The Pandora’s Box of Biology,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, The Global Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 1 (May 2012).

“Amerithrax Review: Lessons for Future Investigations,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Online, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, (November 1, 2011).

“New Developments in the Russian Export Control System” Japanese Center for Information and Security Trade Controls (CISTEC), January 2011 (Published in English and Japanese).

“State of Export Controls in Jordan,” prepared for the U.S. State Department, January 13, 2010.

“Nuclear Terrorism’s Fatal Assumptions,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Online, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley (October 23, 2007).

“An Unrealized Nexus? WMD-Related Trafficking, Terrorism, and Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union,” Arms Control Today, Vol. 37 (July/August 2007).

“Plagued by Errors: New Approach Needed to Tackle Proliferation Threats from the Anti-Plague System,” Arms Control Today, Vol. 36 (March 2006).

“Conversion at Stepnogorsk: What the Future Holds for Former Bioweapons Facilities,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham and Kathleen M. Vogel, Peace Studies Program Occasional Paper, Cornell University, 2003, pacs.einaudi.cornell.edu/system/files/Stepnogorsk-28.pdf.

“Biological Weapons Threats from the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, in The Future of the Russian State, The Liechtenstein Institute for Self-Determination, Princeton University, 2002.

“A Cooperative Border Security System Between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham and Dastan Eleukenov, Sandia National Laboratories Report, June 2002.

“Proliferation Threat From Central Asia and the Caucasus,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham and Dastan Eleukenov, Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper #24, Sandia National Laboratories, February 2002.

“Central Asia: Why Do We Care?” Sonia Ben Ouagrham and Dave Barber, Sandia National Laboratories Newsletter, June 2001.

“Obstacles to the Implementation of the CWC in Russia and Kazakhstan,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, The Monitor, (November/December, 1999): 13–17.

“L’aspect regional de la conversion” (The Regional Aspect of Conversion), Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Le Débat Strategique, Summer 1998 (in French).

“Contrôle de l’État sur le système de production d’armement en Russie” (State Control over Weapons Production in Russia), in Jean-Paul Hebert, Etats et firmes d’armement en Europe, Cahiers D’Etudes Strategiques, No. 22 (September 1998) (in French).

“Severodvinsk, nationaliste par nécessité” (Severodvinsk, Nationalist by Necessity), Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Le Débat Strategique, February 1996 (in French).

“La Conversion de l’industrie de defense a St. Petersboug et Vladivostok,” (Conversion of Defense Industry in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok) Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Le Débat Strategique, August 1995 (in French).

“La politique de la Russie au Moyen Orient” (Russia’s Policy in the Middle East), Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Le Débat Strategique, March 1995 (in French).

“Le désarmement et la conversion de l’industrie militaire en Russie” (Disarmament and Conversion of the Defense Industry in Russia) Sonia Ben Ouagrham, UNIDIR Research Paper #24, 1993.

“La transistion vers l’économie de marché des pays de l’Est” (Transition to Market Economies in Eastern Countries) Louis Pilandon, Sonia Ben Ouagrham, and Olivier Vedrine, UNIDIR Research Paper #23, 1993.

“La conversion de l’industrie militaire dans la Communaute des Etats independants (CEI) (Conversion of Defense Industry in Newly Independent States-NIS),” Louis Pilandon and Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Revue Defense Nationale, No. 544 (July 1993) (in French).

Documentary

The Anthrax Diaries, 30-minute documentary on bioethics produced with Slawomir Grunberg (Award- winning film-maker), Slava Paperno (Russian language Department, Cornell University), and Kathleen Vogel (Science and Technology Department, Cornell University).

(Work is in progress to expand this short documentary into a full-length one-hour film.)

Book Translations

Gilbert Abraham-Frois and Edmond Berrebi, Prices, Profits and Rhythms of Accumulation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997): Translated by Sonia Ben Ouagrham from French to English.

Pierre Picard, Wages and Unemployment: A Study in Non-Walrasian Macroeconomics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993): Translated by Sonia Ben Ouagrham from French to English.

Work in Progress

Book Project and Companion Educational Website

The Anthrax Diaries: The Development of Bioweapons in the Words of their Creators, book project with Professor Kathleen Vogel, (formerly Cornell University, now head of Science and Technology Program at North Carolina State University).

This book is the result of a 4-year grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New-York (2008-2012), which created an oral history of the U.S. and Soviet bioweapons program. The book offers first-hand testimonies of about 50 U.S. and Soviet bioweapons scientists, technicians, and administrative personnel about their personal and collective experiences working in the biological weapons programs.

The companion educational website will contain all of the transcripts of interviews conducted under the Oral History project of the Soviet and U.S. bioweapons program, along with video and audio interviews. All transcripts are being posted in two languages: English and Russian. This is a joint project in which I am teaming with Professors Kathleen Vogel (formerly Cornell University, now head of Science and Technology Program at North Carolina State University) and Slava Paperno (Cornell University). Ultimately, the website will be a bilingual online multimedia forum that will be used to educate U.S. and international scientists, engineers, and publics about the complicated ethical dilemmas underpinning scientific work. This will be accomplished through audience engagement with video-recorded interviews, film clips, and texts, as well as particular natural and material objects that have comprised the scientific lives of former U.S. and Soviet bioweapons scientists.

Conference Papers and Invited Presentations

“Assessing Bioweapons Threats: A New Analytical Framework,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, October 24, 2015

“Tacit Knowledge in Bioweapons Program,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at Workshop on Knowledge Transfer, WMD Proliferation, and Policy Implications, Wilson Center, Washington DC, May 7, 2014

“Challenges of Weaponizing Bio-agents: Policy Implications and Future Threats.” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at Workshop on Synthetic Biology and Biosecurity: How Scared Should We Be? King’s College, London, UK, February 28, 2014.

“The Bio-Proliferation Equation: Variables that Affect a Program’s Pace and Outcome,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association (ISSS-ISA), Washington D.C., October 5, 2013.

“Enhancing Dissuasion in Deterring State and Non-State Bioweapons Programs,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Associations (ISA), Sand Francisco, CA, April 4, 2013.

“The Risks of Misuse of Dual-use Research,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the Annual Doomsday Clock Symposium, Washington D.C., November 29, 2012.

“Revisiting the Past and Present to Understand the Future in the Life Sciences,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham- Gormley, invited presentation at the US-UK Joint Workshop on Improving Intelligence Analysis for Emerging Biotechnology Threats, London, UK, September 12-14, 2012.

“Organization and Scientific Output Within Bioweapons Programs: Taylorism vs. Industrial Districts,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at annual meeting of the International Studies Associations (ISA), San Diego, CA, April 3, 2012.

“Biological Weapons Threat Analysis,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, February 3, 2011 (Invited lecture given by teleconference from Washington D.C. to students in Pittsburgh).

“The Intangible Dimension of Bioweapons Proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at Emerging Biodefense Threats and Information Sharing Strategies Symposium, organized by the National Security Agency, National Cryptologic Museum, Fort Meade, MD, November 3, 2011.

“Quantitative and Qualitative Data Gathering Methods: Similarities and Differences, the interview, Focus Groups, and the Survey," presented at PIA Research Methods Panel, GMU, April 27, 2011.

“Improving Brain-Drain Prevention Programs in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham- Gormley, invited presentation at Global Green USA, Washington DC, December 15, 2010.

“Bioweapons Proliferation Threats in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the University of Manitoba, Collège Universitaire de St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Canada, October 26, 2010.

“Comparative Study of Knowledge Creation and Transfer Within the Former Soviet and U.S. Bioweapons Programs: Proliferation and Policy Implications,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA), Washington DC, September 3, 2010.

“Social Factors Shaping BW (Non)proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the Australian National University, Strategic and Defense Studies Center, Canberra, Australia, August 27, 2010.

“International Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at International Security in a Multipolar World, Seminar organized by GMU and St. Petersburg University (Russia), George Mason University, September 17-18, 2009.

“Knowledge Creation and Transfer Within the Former U.S. and Soviet Bioweapons Programs,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at the annual Meeting of the Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S), Washington DC, October 30, 2009.

“Convergence Between WMD-related Trafficking, Crime and Terrorism in the Former Soviet Union”, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at GMU Administration of Justice Department, April 15, 2009

“Tacit Knowledge in BW Developments,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the U.S. Department of Defense DTRA-ASCO, Fort Belvoir, April 2009.

“Biological Terrorism: Micro Intelligence for a Macro Threat,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the Seminar on Tradecraft of Warning: New Approaches and New Thinking, Central Intelligence Agency, Rosslyn, VA, February 28, 2009.

“Role of Tacit Knowledge in Biological Weapons Proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the seminar on Forward-looking Biological Engagement and Cooperative Threat Reduction Efforts in Russia, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington, D.C., February 20, 2009.

“Consideration of Social Context in Shaping (Non)proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley and Kathleen M. Vogel, presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Meeting, New York City, February 16, 2009.

“Brain-drain Threat in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, briefing organized at the request of the State Department, Bureau of Nonproliferation, Washington DC, January 30, 2009.

“WMD-related Trafficking in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, January 7-8, 2009.

“Biological Weapons Proliferation in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at U.S. Industry Coalition Inc (USIC) for National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of Energy officials, Rosslyn, VA, December 15, 2008.

“Role of Tacit Knowledge in Biological Weapons Proliferation,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, presented at the CIA Global Futures Forum, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, September 23- 25, 2008.

“WMD-related Trafficking in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the CBRN Defense Asia Conference and at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, Singapore, June 13-15, 2007.

“Export Controls in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 6, 2007.

“WMD Trafficking in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Implications for Indications and Warning,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley and Dennis M. Gormley, presented at a conference on “Terrorism, Transnational Networks, and WMD Proliferation: Indications and Warning in an Era of Globalization,” Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, July 25-27, 2006.

“The Biological Weapons Threat and Prospects for Bioterrorism in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited presentation at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland, May 31, 2006.

“The Security of Weapons of Mass Destruction Stockpiles,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, Washington D.C., November 16-19, 2006.

“The Anti-Plague System of the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, invited briefing to Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and former Senator Nunn, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Washington D.C., November 9, 2005.

“The Soviet Anti-plague System: Threat and Engagement,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, invited presentation at Women In International Security (WIIS) Science, Technology Policy Forum: New Approaches to Chemical and Biological Security, Washington D.C., June 23, 2004.

“The Proliferation Threat from the Anti-Plague System of the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, invited presentation to Dr. Hans Blix and the WMD Commission, Vancouver, Canada, November 11, 2004.

“Annual Cooperative Biological Research Program Review,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, invited presentation at a conference organized by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, St. Petersburg, Russia, July 12-16, 2004.

“Nuclear Regionalism in Russia,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, presented at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Washington, D.C., April 5, 2002.

“Biological Weapons Threat from the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, presented at a conference on “The Future of Russia,” sponsored by the Liechtenstein Institute for Self Determination, Liechtenstein, March 13-17, 2002.

“Conversion of Biological Weapons Facilities in the Former Soviet Union,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, presented at a meeting sponsored by RANSAC, Washington, DC, February 19, 2002.

“Arms Control and Proliferation Concerns from Former Soviet Weapons Facilities,” American Association for the Advancement of Science 2001 Annual Meeting, Sonia Ben Ouagrham, paper presented on “Conversion of Former Soviet Weapons Complexes,” San Francisco, CA, February 2001.

“The Regional Aspect of Conversion of Defense Industry in Russia,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, presented at Pugwash meeting No. 254, St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk, Russia, May 28 – June 1, 2000.

“Conversion in the Russian Naval Industry,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, presented at a conference on “The Future of Russia as a Maritime Power,” Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, March 16-17, 1998.

Organized Conferences

“Review of the Jordanian Export Control Legislation,” Amman, Jordan, January 11-12, 2011, (Conference organizer).

“Discussion Panel with Former Soviet Bioweapons Scientists,” George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, March 29, 2010, (Conference organizer).

Discussion Panel with Former Soviet Bioweapons Scientists,” with professor Kathleen Vogel, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, March 31, 2010, (Conference organizer).

“Strategic Trade Control Legal and Regulatory Development Training and Assistance to the Government of Jordan,” Aqaba, Jordan, November 16-18, 2009, (Conference organizer).

“Discussion Panel with Former U.S. Bioweapons Scientists,” George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, March 17, 2009, (Conference organizer).

Nonproliferation Awareness Workshop, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 26-27, 2007 (Workshop organizer).

Nonproliferation Awareness Workshop, Almaty, Kazakhstan, October 2006 (Workshop organizer).

“International Workshop on Biotechnology Commercialization and Security,” Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sonia Ben Ouagrham, member of the organizing committee for a conference organized by the Scientific Technical Center, Ukraine, 2004.

“Workshop on Biosecurity in the Newly Independent States,” Almaty, Kazakhstan, May 15-16, 2003 (Conference organizer).

“Preventing Health and Proliferation Problems Stemming from the Soviet Biological Weapons Legacy in Central Asia,” Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 2001 (Conference organizer).

“Former Biological Weapon Facilities: Dismantlement and Prospect for Conversion,” Sonia Ben Ouagrham, Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan, July 24-26, 2000 (Conference organizer).

Academic Awards and Grants

George Mason University, Study leave award 2015-2016

U.S. Department of State, 2009-2012, grant for organizing training workshops on nonproliferation, export controls, and strategic goods licensing for the Government of Jordan ($103,633).

Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2008-2011, to create an Oral History of the Former Soviet and

U.S. Bioweapons Programs (with Kathleen Vogel, Cornell University). Grant administered by Cornell University ($300,000).

Combined grants from Cornell University ($14,000)/ Federation of American Scientists (FAS) ($30,000), totaling $44,000, 2011.This grant allowed the production of an educational documentary exploring the social and ethical aspects of bioweapons work. The Anthrax Diaries, a 30-minute documentary featuring former Soviet scientists, was released in December 2011. This work, conducted in cooperation with Kathleen Vogel (Cornell University), Slava Paperno (Cornell University), and Slawomir Grunberg (award-winning documentary producer), will builds on work funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

George Mason University, research and writing sabbatical (fall 2010).

George Mason University Faculty Research and Development Award ($4,200) (2010-11).

Teaching Experience

“International Security,” George Mason University, Spring 2013, 2014

“Arms Control and Nonproliferation,” George Mason University, Fall 2008, 2009, Spring 2011, 2012, 2014.

“Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weapons Policy and Security,” George Mason University, Spring 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014

“Research Methods in Political Science,” George Mason University, Spring 2010, 2011, Fall 2012, 2013, 2014

“Biodefense Strategy and Policy,” George Mason University, Fall 2012 “Biodefense Colloquium,” George Mason University, Spring 2009 “Dissertation Readings,” George Mason University, Fall 2008

“WMD in the Former Soviet Union,” Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, Spring 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Languages

French: native speaker
Russian: fluent
English: fluent
Arabic: spoken fluency
Kazakh: beginner