Founded in 1989 by Professor William C. Potter, the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) is the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues. CNS is a research center of Middlebury College.

CNS strives to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists, while disseminating timely information and analysis to policymakers and the public. 

Extending Middlebury’s global reach, CNS experts and activities are concentrated in four offices—in Monterey, CA; Middlebury, VT; Washington, DC; and Vienna, Austria (through the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation).

• CNS Monterey is the Center’s headquarters and hosts a wide range of research, training and education programs, and is the Bay Area-adjacent hub for CNS’s emerging technologies and artificial intelligence initiatives.
• CNS Vermont collaborates with Middlebury College faculty and staff to provide curricular and experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates both on and off campus.
• CNS DC connects cutting-edge research with the Washington policymaking community.
• The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, established through a partnership between CNS and the Austrian government, promotes international peace and security by conducting research, facilitating dialogue among key nuclear stakeholders, and building capacity for policy practitioners on nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, and emerging technologies.

CNS Vermont’s Director and Professor Stephen Herzog teaches fall, winter term, and spring courses in the Global Security track of the International and Global Studies Program. Additional CNS experts teach on a visiting basis during the winter term. CNS is partnering with faculty in multiple departments on additional curricular initiatives in Vermont. Stay tuned!

Middlebury undergraduates are invited to apply for winter term internships and paid summer undergraduate fellowships with CNS Monterey; the MiddWorks for Vermont summer internship at CNS Vermont, and paid research assistant positions with CNS Vermont during the fall and spring semesters (these list on Workable when there are openings).

CNS Vermont brings distinguished guest speakers from around the world to Middlebury, giving students and faculty a direct connection to the international policy community. Planned activities also include policy and career skills workshops, opportunities to engage with visiting practitioners, and other events designed to bridge campus learning with real-world work in nonproliferation and global security.