NEWS & EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Universities, R&D Funding, and American Innovation
Webinar
10:00 – 11:00 am PT
September 4, 2025
Zoom
This webinar continues the conversation started in Jon Metzler and Andrew Reddie’s “The Double Power Law: How American Innovation Really Works.” Their War on the Rocks article frames U.S. innovation as emerging from systems: publicly funded basic research and venture‐backed commercialization. Jon, Andrew, and Leah will unpack how leading research universities continue to serve as critical engines for early‐stage technology discovery, forming the foundation of a decentralized venture portfolio that gives rise to frontier technologies. The speakers, in reaction to the current university funding environment, will also discuss the importance of institutional autonomy, funding breadth, and university–laboratory–industry linkages for preserving American competitiveness.
Jon Metzler, Continuing Lecturer with Haas School of Business, Prof. Andrew Reddie, Faculty Director at the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab, Moderated by Leah Walker, Executive Director, Berkeley Risk and Security Lab
The Enduring Role of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in National Security
Speaker Series
5:00 – 6:30 pm PT
October 2, 2025
Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Join us for a public lecture by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Director Michael Witherell, in our latest installment of our National Laboratory Director Speaker Series. Director Witherell will share insights into the Lab’s mission to deliver science solutions for energy, environment, health, and technology. He’ll explore the Lab’s close partnership with UC Berkeley, its role in shaping U.S. research priorities, and how it addresses global scientific challenges. Dir. Witherell will also speak to the Lab’s unique culture of international collaboration and cross-sect innovation.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Director Michael Witherell in conversation with Prof. Andrew Reddie
Previous Events

2/26/24 | NPWG hosts Dr. Erik Brubaker
Date: February 26 Location: UC Berkeley Risk and Security Lab, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1995 University Ave. Time: 5:30-7 pm PT NPWG is thrilled to host Dr. Erik Brubaker from Sandia National Laboratories for a conversation about arms control verification...

2/13/24 | National Security in an Uncertain World with Dr. Kimberly S. Budil
BRSL is delighted to host Dr. Kimberly S. Budil, the Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for our next speaker series event. Dr. Budil, who is responsible for the laboratory’s strategic vision, will discuss the lab’s unique role in the national security...

10/26/23 | The Future of Arms Control
The Berkeley Risk and Security Lab is delighted to host Mallory Stewart, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance (AVC) at the U.S. Department of State, for a discussion on the future of arms control. The conversations will...

10/19/23 | Attacks on Machine Learning Systems
The Berkeley Risk and Security Lab is pleased to welcome Ram Shankar Shiva Kumar to discusses his new book "Not with a Bug, But with a Sticker: Attacks on Machine Learning Systems and What To Do About Them" and his experience as an AI red teamer. Ram, a Data Cowboy at...

Closing Out the Spring Semester
As we come to the end of the spring semester, we would like share our milestones over the past several months and thank you for your support during our first full semester as the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made on our...

5/9/23 | After the JCPOA: Five Years After Failure
Tuesday, May 9 at 0900 PT // 1200 ET This event will be a retrospective, coinciding with the 5-year anniversary of Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. The discussion will address the consequences of U.S. withdrawal, the current state of Iranian capabilities and...
BRSL Webinars
Upcoming Events

Closing Out the Spring Semester
As we come to the end of the spring semester, we would like share our milestones over the past several months and thank you for your support during our first full semester as the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made on our...

Experimental Wargaming Article Published
We are delighted to share that "Evidence of the Unthinkable: Experimental Wargaming at the Nuclear Threshold" by two BRSL faculty, Andrew Reddie and Bethany Goldblum has been published in the Journal of Peace Research. The article is open access and available here....