A recent alum and a current Middlebury Institute student have been named Nuclear Scholars by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies student Ariel (Phantitra) Phuphaphantakarn and alum Sam Lair ‘24 will be invited to attend six once-a-month, two-day workshops with senior experts on nuclear weapons issues hosted by CSIS in Washington, D.C. CSIS is a Washington-based think tank formerly affiliated with Georgetown University.
“It felt surreal to me,” says Phuphaphantakarn of this recognition. “This [Scholar role] is really hard to get, and usually people get it after they have already graduated. To have this opportunity while I am still a student is amazing.”
A second-year student, in fall 2024 Phuphaphantakarn served as chair for her program’s renowned Nonproliferation Treaty Simulation course.
“I am very excited to have been selected,” said Lair. “It’s an honor to be included in such a distinguished group of young experts. The Nuclear Scholars Initiative means I have the opportunity to forge new connections with people in the field with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise.”
To have this opportunity while I am still a student is amazing.
Lair said this opportunity will help him to advance his career by providing him a chance to publish research and grow his networks, key to getting established in the field.
The Nuclear Scholars Initiative is part of CSIS’s Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI), which “identifies and cultivates emerging thought leaders by building relationships, deepening understanding, and sharing perspectives across the full range of nuclear issues and communities.”
Phuphaphantakarn, who is also an International Atomic Energy Agency Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow, a nonresident fellow (Lloyd and Lilian Vasey Fellowship) with the Pacific Forum, and a graduate research assistant at the Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, says she came to the Institute with one intention: “I want to be a scholar. I want to get a PhD, not to teach, but to do research and be part of a think tank. This will get me another level closer to what I want to do—that’s why I’m so excited.”
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