Juggling a master’s thesis, research with an expert in your field, plus an internship at a global security think tank three time zones away from your graduate school might seem like a lot.
But it was just another Tuesday for Shahneela Tariq in the time leading up to completing her M.A. in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies in December 2024.
“Sometimes it’s hard to manage,” admits Tariq, but she knows that all of this is building toward the career she wants.
Over fall 2024, Tariq interned with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) in Washington, D.C., an international NGO and research center focused on global security.
She also launched a podcast called “Women in Nuclear Security,” supported by funding from the Provost’s Office. The five episodes to date explore the critical role women play in nuclear security and highlight their achievements.
Contributing to Global Security Research
Tariq was one of only a handful of students selected out of hundreds of applicants for the NTI internship.
“Being an intern at NTI is like being a staff member. It’s not only printing papers and writing reports for other people, it’s contributing to a project and having your work acknowledged. Currently I’m writing a research article under the supervision of a staff member at NTI, but whenever they share my content with someone on the team outside of NTI, they always give me credit.”
Tariq describes a typical day at NTI as “very busy.” She worked on the Nuclear Materials Security team, where she is worked on several projects, including one related to her thesis topic: nuclear security and artificial intelligence.
“I’m looking at how we can apply AI onto nuclear security in an effort to mitigate nuclear security threats inside a civilian nuclear power plant.”
Each NTI department hosts regular briefings for staff that are mandatory for interns, ensuring they get a broad view of the organization’s work.
NTI is exploring the AI aspect into nuclear security, so working with them would definitely help me pursue my career in this field…it’s already contributing a lot to my professional expertise and my skills which I can definitely use in future.
A native of Lahore, Pakistan with a master’s in international relations from her hometown’s Kinnaird College for Women, Tariq came to the U.S. last June to begin her graduate studies at the Middlebury Language Schools in Vermont, where she studied German over the summer before moving on to Monterey.
“I’m working on nuclear security and I always wanted to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency. I decided to learn German so that if I moved to Vienna, I would know some of the language and be able to have some social interaction.”
She noted that most students in her program speak more than one language, an edge for many security careers. All nonproliferation and terrorism students have the opportunity to attend the Middlebury Language Schools for their intensive summer program.
“I’m enjoying this internship,” she says. “I’m more confident now I can pursue this field and it’s a surprise in a positive way that I can contribute so soon to the field where I’ve wanted to work. NTI is exploring the AI aspect into nuclear security, so working with them would definitely help me pursue my career in this field.”
Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies
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