The Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology, or "CMIST," is a university-wide initiative dedicated to the wise development, use and governance of new and emerging technologies that are changing war and peace. CMIST is uniquely poised to take advantage of the university’s strengths in computer science and engineering, and its distinctive tradition of cross-university, cross-disciplinary research. Focused on questions of power and governance, CMIST builds new frameworks for managing global and national security challenges.
2024-2025 Annual Report
At CMIST we address the challenges of new and emerging technologies through a political science lens.
FALL EVENTS
Lawfully Speaking: Law, Technology, and the Future of Conflict
Scientists & Strategists: Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare, Whether We Like It or Not
Scientists & Strategists: National Security AI in Practice: Evaluation, Governance, Human-Machine Integration, and Other Emerging Issues
STUDENT LIFE
Prospective Students
Navigating today's complex landscape requires more than just picking a major—it demands a community dedicated to turning ambition into impact. At the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology, we combine the resources of a premier research university with a supportive faculty network. Here, students gain rigorous analytical training and technical fluency valued by employers spanning Silicon Valley to the State Department. We turn classroom theory into practice through immersive, accessible opportunities like the Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program (CMU/WSP) and Friedman Fellowships. Designed to push intellectual boundaries, CMIST provides the strategic foundation and individualized guidance necessary to launch a meaningful, high-trajectory career.
Professional Development
At CMIST, professional development is woven into the student experience from day one, serving undergraduates and graduate students alike. Undergraduates learn to translate academic coursework into workplace readiness through targeted workshops, personalized faculty advising, and hands-on research and experiential learning. For our master's students, professional preparation begins right at orientation, anchoring a program explicitly designed to shape long-term career trajectories. Backed by dedicated mentorship and specialized programming, every CMIST student receives the strategic guidance needed to navigate their field with confidence and secure high-impact roles after graduation.
Washington Opportunities
Through the CMIST Washington Center, students are plugged straight into the epicenter of global policy, diplomacy, and defense. Whether through the immersive Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program (CMU/WSP)—which pairs coursework with high-level internships across congressional offices, think tanks, and agencies—or through dedicated summer internship support and scholarships, we ensure students gain critical real-world experience in the nation's capital. Beyond internships, the center hosts public tech and security events and powers unique initiatives like the fully funded Friedman Trek, offering undergraduates from any major an all-access, behind-the-scenes look at the institutions shaping tomorrow's world.
RECENT WORK
As advanced manufacturing, AI, and defense rapidly converge on electricity, abundant power has become a vital strategic imperative. However, securing the modern grid requires precision—not panic. While Executive Order 14421 directs the government to protect our expanding power grid, effective cyber security depends on targeting the actual control layer: software, firmware, and remote access. Inert physical components carry no native cyber risk, but blunt bans on whole technology categories threaten to stall the very infrastructure expansion our economy and military rely on. Modernizing with a secure, self-healing digital control layer gives policymakers a scalpel to implement zero-trust security without halting energy growth in the United. States.
READ Report
Think Globally, Act Locally: The Determinants of Local Policy Makers’ Support for Climate Policy
By Sabrina B. Arias and Joshua A. Schwartz
Regulating the ‘Unregulatable’: Why Policymakers Are in Paralysis When Regulating AI
By Sarah Barrington and Hannah Bailey
The National Interest
Japan, South Korea, and Europe Need an AI Standards Pact with the United States
By Troy Stangarone
The New York Times
Our Power Grid Is Vulnerable. This Is How to Protect It.
By Harry Krejsa and Phoebe Benich
Lawfare
Rulemaking by Memo: Why CMMC Suspension Deserves Review
By Michael McLaughlin and Harvey Rishikof
War on the Rocks
Putting Armageddon on Autopilot: How Artificial Intelligence Could Make Nuclear Threats More Effective
By Joshua Scwhartz and Michael Horowitz
TEAM OF TEAMS
