Heather Williams

Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Williams

Dr. Heather Williams is the director of the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) and a senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She is an affiliate with the MIT Center for Nuclear Security Policy, an associate fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute in London. Dr. Williams is a member of the UN Secretary-General Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs, and she has been a member of the Defense Science Board and the Department of State International Security Advisory Board. Before joining CSIS, Dr. Williams was a visiting fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Stanton Nuclear Security fellow in the Security Studies Program at MIT. Until 2022, she was a senior lecturer (associate professor) at King’s College London and served as a specialist adviser to the House of Lords International Relations Committee. Dr. Williams has a PhD in war studies from King’s College London, an MA in security policy studies from the George Washington University, and a BA in international relations and Russian studies from Boston University.

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  • Caroline Ward
  • Former Program Manager, Project on Nuclear Issues

Media Queries

In the News 8 of 43 results

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Audio Briefs

Options for the United States to Resolve the Iran Nuclear Challenge

An audio version of “⁠Options for the United States to Resolve the Iran Nuclear Challenge⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Heather Williams and Joseph Rodgers. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.  

Podcast Episode by Heather Williams and Joseph Rodgers — April 2, 2026

Audio Briefs

Options for the United States to Resolve the Iran Nuclear Challenge

The nuclear issue is likely to determine not only when the war ends, but also how it ends, and who can claim “victory.” Per Trump’s speech, there are at least three nuclear off-ramps to help the administration retreat from the conflict and avoid a costly war.

Commentary by Heather Williams and Joseph Rodgers — April 2, 2026

Trump’s New Nuclear Architecture for Modernization and Arms Control

The Trump administration recently announced a new architecture for nuclear policy, which includes an enduring commitment to nuclear modernization and arms control. The United States can expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal and work toward nuclear risk reduction measures.

Brief by Heather Williams and Nicholas Adamopoulos — March 13, 2026

CSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues

The U.S.-UK-French Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues have convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States since 2009 to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation policy issues.

Report by Heather Williams — February 11, 2026

New START Expiration

Please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department for a conversation on the expiration of the New START Treaty.

Event — February 3, 2026

The Arsenal of Freedom Tour

Please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department for a conversation on the Secretary of War’s Arsenal of Freedom tour.

Event — January 22, 2026