The Hon. Dimitri Kusnezov, Ph.D., is currently Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, where he leads the FutureSafe: AI and Emerging Technology initiative.

Previously, he served in many senior roles, most recently as the Presidentially-Appointed/Senate-Confirmed Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was responsible for identifying operational gaps, conceptualizing art-of-the-possible solutions, and delivering operational results that improve the security and resilience of the nation.

Before that, Dr. Kusnezov held leadership positions in science and national security, including Deputy Under Secretary for Artificial Intelligence & Technology at the U.S. Department of Energy, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy, and Chief Scientist for the National Nuclear Security Administration. He also directed research, development, test, and evaluation programs for the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise.

Prior to public service, Dr. Kusnezov was a professor of theoretical physics, spending more than a decade on the Yale University faculty and serving as a visiting professor at numerous universities around the world.

He earned his M.S. in Physics and Ph.D. in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from Princeton University, and holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Physics and Pure Mathematics with highest honors from UC Berkeley.