Heather Williams

Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, International Security Program
Williams

Heather Williams is the director of the Project on Nuclear Issues and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She is also an associate fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before joining CSIS she was a visiting fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom and a Stanton nuclear security fellow in the Security Studies Program at MIT. Until 2022, she was a senior lecturer (associate professor) in defense studies at King’s College London and taught on arms control, deterrence, and disarmament. From 2018 to 2019, Dr. Williams served as a specialist adviser to the House of Lords International Relations Committee inquiry into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and disarmament, and until 2015 she was a research fellow at Chatham House. She previously worked in the Strategy, Forces, and Resources Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses, where she remains an adjunct research staff member. 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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PONI 2024 Virtual Winter Conference

PONI will host its 2024 Virtual Winter Conference on February 26, which will explore lessons from Ukraine and topics related to nuclear rhetoric, brinksmanship, escalation management, and changes in the perceived value of nuclear weapons. 

Event — February 26, 2024

2023 Fall Conference

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) will host its 2023 Fall Conference on December 5 at CSIS. The conference will explore the impact of emerging technologies on nuclear security. A call for presentation proposals and registration for conference attendees are forthcoming.

Event — December 5, 2023

Project Atom Report Launch

Please join the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) to discuss the findings of PONI's forthcoming Project Atom report. The Project Atom report consists of five competing strategies for deterring two peer adversaries written by six senior experts with diverse perspectives.

Event — November 7, 2023

Korea Global Forum 2023

The International Security Program (ISP) will co-host a conference with the Korea University Peace and Democracy Institute (PDI) on November 6th at CSIS, discussing current issues influencing the United States’ nuclear policy towards North Korea.

Event — November 6, 2023

How to Get Away with a Nuclear Test

Talk of nuclear testing and threats of escalation are part of an ongoing Russian effort to manipulate nuclear risks and deter Western intervention in Ukraine. Whether or not Russia resumes testing will depend on Putin’s expected response from the international community.

Critical Questions by Heather Williams — October 5, 2023

Project Atom 2023

How can the United States deter two peer competitors? To assist U.S. policy makers in addressing this question, the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) invited a group of experts to develop competing strategies for deterring Russia and China through 2035.

Report by Heather Williams Kelsey Hartigan Lachlan MacKenzie Robert Soofer Tom Karako Oriana Skylar Mastro Franklin Miller Leonor Tomero and Jon Wolfsthal — September 29, 2023

2023 PONI Summer Conference

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) will host its 2023 Summer Conference at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on July 26 and 27. PONI is now soliciting applications for the conference.

Event — July 26, 2023

Reactions from the Next Generation

As a follow-on to "The Fragile Balance of Terror," the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues invited eight early- and mid-career experts to offer reflections on the volume. These rising voices outline a landscape of uncertainty that they will confront throughout their careers.

Report by Heather Williams Jamie Kwong Nicholas Adamopoulos Suzanne Claeys Joseph Rodgers Doreen Horschig Lachlan MacKenzie Melissa Chan and Jessica Link — June 28, 2023

CSIS European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues

In 2022, the European Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues convened senior nuclear policy experts from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States to discuss nuclear deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation issues and identify areas of consensus among the P3.

Report by Heather Williams — March 20, 2023