Laurel Baker is a Research Associate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Center for Global Security Research. Her multidisciplinary research at LLNL will concern autonomous systems’ nuclear applications, with an emphasis on uncrewed maritime vessels, enabling emerging technologies, and associated regulatory challenges.
In addition to her time as a National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellow in the Front Office of Defense Programs, Laurel previously conducted research on the Russian and Chinese militaries and political economies, Arctic geopolitics, and more at a variety of think tanks and NGOs, such as the Hoover Institution, the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute for the Study of War, and the Wilson Center. Her publishing history primarily addresses emerging technologies’ potential uses in irregular warfare and difficulties within governing maritime global commons. Laurel holds an MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from Stanford University, as well as a BA (Honors) in Russian and minors in Linguistics and Translation Studies from the University of Michigan.
