Biosecurity policy
This page lists resources on biosecurity policy, think tanks, fellowships, and congressional committees.
This article is a work in progress. You can recommend other resources for inclusion here.
Biosecurity policy resources
The following list is meant as a starting point for someone learning about the field and recent developments; there are many great resources we were not able to include, and recommend doing your own research into particular topics you’re interested in.
Newsletters
- The Pandora Report, George Mason University Biodefense Program
- Health Security Headlines, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- Global Biodefense Newsletter
- Daily Headlines, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
- POLITICO Pulse
- STAT newsletters
- FYI This Week, American Institute of Physics (science policy generally)
- Pink Sheet, Citeline Regulatory (biotech industry news)
Books
- Pandora’s Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World at Risk (2023)
- Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic (2021)
- Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present (2019)
- Biosecurity Dilemmas: Dreaded Diseases, Ethical Responses, and the Health of Nations (2017)
- Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs (2017)
- Synthetic Biology: Safety, Security, and Promise (2016)
- Biological Threats in the 21st Century: The Politics, People, Science and Historical Roots (2016)
- Routledge Handbook of Global Health Security (2015)
- The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy (2009)
- Bioterror and Biowarfare (2006)
- Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World (2000)
Podcasts
- Poisons and Pestilence Podcast
- Prevent Detect Respond (PDR) Podcast
- This Podcast Will Kill You
- Osterholm Update, Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy
- Hear This Idea (e.g. Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Ajay Karpur, Jassi Pannu & Joshua Monrad, Saloni Dattani, Tessa Alexanian & Janvi Ahuja, Richard Bruns)
- The 80,000 Hours Podcast has in-depth interviews with biosecurity and policy practitioners like Kevin Esvelt, Jaime Yassif, Pardis Sabeti, Andy Weber, Greg Lewis, Cassidy Nelson, Tom Inglesby, and Beth Cameron
Online courses
- Next Generation Biosecurity: Responding to 21st Century Biorisks
- Biosecurity Fundamentals Course, BlueDot Impact
- Nuclear Threat Initiative Education Center
Think tank reports and policy analysis
- Congressional Research Service reports (search term “bio”)
- Health Security Net, a searchable database of reports and government documents on pandemics
- The Apollo Program for Biodefense (2021), Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (see other reports)
- Pathogen Early Warning: A Progress Report & Path Forward (2022), Council on Strategic Risks (see other reports)
- Proposed Biosecurity Oversight Framework for the Future of Science (2023), National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)
- Global Health Security Index and Preventing Global Catastrophic Biological Risks (2020), Nuclear Threat Initiative (see other reports)
- Building Strong Biosafety and Biosecurity into the Expanding US Bioeconomy (2023), Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (see other reports)
- Understanding the Global Gain-of-Function Research Landscape (2023), Center for Security and Emerging Technology (see other reports)
- The Characteristics of Pandemic Pathogens (2018), Center for Health Security
- Health Security Net, a searchable database of reports and government documents on pandemics
Government strategies
- Biodefense Posture Review (2023), DOD
- National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan (2022), White House
- Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation (2022), White House
- BARDA Strategic Plan, 2022-2026 (2023), BARDA
- American Pandemic Preparedness Plan (2021), White House
- Pandemic Preparedness Plan (2021), NIAID
- National Strategy for a Resilient Public Health Supply Chain (2021), HHS
International organizations and treaties
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)
- Australia Group
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
- International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS)
- WHO Pandemic Treaty (under negotiation)
- Biological Weapons Convention (1975)
Conferences
- Events calendar, Global Biodefense
- Events calendar, Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity
- Annual Biosafety & Biosecurity Conference, Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity
- Global Health Security Conference
- Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Chemical and Biological Defense, Gordon Research Conferences
Think tanks working on biosecurity policy
While the below list is not comprehensive, we hope it is a useful starting point if you are interested in working at a think tank on biosecurity or pandemic preparedness policy.
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (CHS)
- Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (BCB)
- Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): Biological
- Council on Strategic Risks (CSR): Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons
- RAND Corporation: Meselson Center, Bioterrorism
- Institute for Progress (IFP): Biosecurity
- Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET): Bio-Risk
- Brown University Pandemic Center
- Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security (CGHSS)
- Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC): Biosecurity and Global Health Initiative
- Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (CACNP): Biological and Chemical Weapons
- Federation for American Scientists (FAS)
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Technology and International Affairs – Biotechnology
- Atlantic Council: Geotech Center Biosecurity and Health Program
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Global Health Policy Center
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS): Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): Public Health Threats and Pandemics
- Blueprint Biosecurity
Biosecurity-relevant policy fellowships
The following fellowship programs are especially relevant for biosecurity policy work (see also our full fellowship database for 50+ opportunities):
- Horizon Fellowship (Horizon Institute for Public Service) – a 6-24 month full-time US emerging technology policy fellowship facilitating job placements in the US executive branch, Congress, and think tanks for early- and mid-career individuals. (Note that the Horizon Fellowship and this website are both projects of the Horizon Institute for Public Service.)
- AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (American Association for the Advancement of Science) – a 12-month fellowship in DC with four separate tracks, that places fellows within the executive branch, judicial branch, legislative branch, or in a nonprofit. The fellowship is for individuals with a doctoral-level degree.
- Congressional Innovation Fellowship (TechCongress) – a 10-12 month full-time fellowship for early and mid-career professionals involving placements with a Member of Congress or a Congressional Committee.
- Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity (ELBI) Fellowship (Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security) – a 10-month part-time program allowing talented graduate students and professionals to deepen their expertise, expand their network, and build their leadership skills through workshops and other events.
- Fellowship for Ending Bioweapons(Council on Strategic Risks) – a 12-month part-time program, allowing fellows to work with leading experts from CSR’s team and network to generate ideas for ending the threat of state biological weapons programs.
- Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship (Council on Strategic Risks) – a 2-month part-time program for mid-career professionals involving a 3-day, in-person workshop in Washington, DC.
- Epidemic Intelligence Service (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – a “2-year post-graduate fellowship in applied epidemiology…EIS officers help public health officials investigate and control infectious disease outbreaks”
- Health Policy Fellowship (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) – a 1-year full-time executive branch job placement program focused on health and biosecurity policy for mid-career professionals.
- Scoville Peace Fellowship – A 6-9 month full-time security policy fellowship with DC-based NGOs (including some working on biosecurity, like NTI) for early-career bachelor’s or master’s graduates.
- Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) – a 12-week full-time science and technology policy training and networking program in Washington DC for early career for graduate degree holders and current graduate students
- Biotechnology Innovation & International Security Fellowship (Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University) – an academic research fellowship for predoctoral and postdoctoral students, and junior faculty, for applicants from the US and abroad.
- Science Policy Fellowship (Research!America) – a 1-year paid fellowship for individuals with a PhD or other terminal degree who seek science policy experience in the areas of biomedical research, health services research and other health research disciplines
- Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs) – a 3-month part-time learning and networking program involving online workshops and a Geneva visit for advanced degree holders under the age of 40 who are citizens in a low- or middle-income Biological Weapons Convention State Party
- Arms Control Negotiation Academy – a part-time “12-month, high-level professional development program for a competitively selected cohort of [16] rising international security experts and practitioners” involving three week-long workshops
Congressional committees relevant to bio policy
Since biotech and biosecurity policy span an incredibly wide set of topics, many congressional committees are involved in regulating the technology. For a list of committees most involved in bio-related policy, see the relevant section in Part 3 of our working in Congress guide.