Press Release — BRSL Welcomes Next Frontier Seminar

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab Welcomes the Next Frontier Seminar

January 29, 2026

Berkeley, CA – The University of California, Berkeley’s Risk and Security Lab (BRSL) at the Goldman School of Public Policy is pleased to announce that the Next Frontier Seminar (NFS) will join BRSL as a program within the Lab, establishing Berkeley as NFS’s new institutional home while preserving the distinctive, multi-university structure of the program.

The integration reflects a shared mission to advance student development, develop rigorous research portfolios, and engage with policy at the intersection of emerging technology and international affairs. The acquisition of the NFS will expand BRSL’s educational programming through a proven model for sustained student engagement and inter-university collaboration.

“I am delighted to welcome the Next Frontier Seminar to the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab and to have Daniel Kroth join BRSL as Program Director and Research Scholar. NFS has built a remarkable model for sustained, student-driven engagement at the intersection of emerging technology and international security, and it aligns closely with BRSL’s commitment to rigorous research, mentorship, and policy relevance on cutting-edge policy challenges. Bringing NFS to Berkeley strengthens our ability to cultivate the next generation of scholars and practitioners while preserving the program’s distinctive, cross-institutional character. I am also delighted to welcome Daniel and his outstanding scholarship to Berkeley” 

– Prof. Andrew W. Reddie, Faculty Director, Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

Founded as an independent nonprofit, NFS is known for its intensive, year-long fellowship program designed for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students from an array of universities. 

Under the new arrangement, NFS will be led by Daniel Kroth, who will serve as Program Director and as a Research Scholar at BRSL, ensuring continuity of leadership and close integration with the Lab’s research portfolio. NFS’s inter-university governance board will continue to advise and support the program. By joining BRSL, NFS will benefit from expanded administrative capacity, deeper integration into an interdisciplinary research environment, and enhanced opportunities for long-term student engagement while continuing to convene cohorts from leading universities across the United States and abroad.

Merging our program with BRSL will allow us to enrich the experience of our fellows by embedding their work in a leading research community with the mentorship, infrastructure, and intellectual rigor to match their ambition. I’m excited about what we can build together at Berkeley and about welcoming Berkeley students into a program that remains proudly cross-institutional at its core.

– Daniel Kroth, Program Director of the Next Frontier Seminar, Research Scholar, Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

Together, the NFS and BRSL will deepen the Lab’s student programming and reinforce its role as a central hub for cultivating the next generation of technology and security leaders.

For more information about BRSL and its programs, visit brsl.berkeley.edu. For more information about the Next Frontier Seminar, visit brsl.berkeley.edu/nfs or nextfrontierseminar.org.