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Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia

M. V. Ramana (Ph.D. Boston University; M.Sc Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur) is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC. His research interests are in the broad areas of international security and energy supply, with a particular focus on topics related to nuclear energy and fissile materials that can be used to make nuclear weapons. He combines technical skills and interdisciplinary methods to address policy relevant questions related to security and energy issues. Ramana is the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India, Penguin Books, New Delhi (2012).

His recent work has involved studying the multiple risks associated with the acquisition and expansion of nuclear power around the world, including the linkage with nuclear weapons, the financial risks stemming from the high capital costs of reactors, the environmental risks associated with spent fuel and long-lived radioactive waste, and safety risks as a result of the potential for severe accidents like the ones at Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011. He has also carried out critical assessments of new reactor technologies. Earlier work has included studying the effects of nuclear explosions, accidents involving nuclear weapons, and the detection of ballistic missiles.

His work has been recognized through honors such as a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2003 and the Leo Szilard Award from the American Physical Society in 2014. He is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials and on the editorial board of Energy Research & Social Science.

Experience

  • 2017–present
    Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia
  • 2009–2016
    Nuclear Futures Laboratory, Princeton University

Education

  • 1994 
    Boston University, Ph.D.

Research Areas

  • Public Policy (160510)