Emerging Technology Experts

CRDF Global is Seeking Expertise in Emerging Technologies 

Submit Your CV to Stay Engaged with CRDF Global and Future Opportunities 

Your Expertise is Needed at CRDF Global 

CRDF Global is expanding its bench of expert consultants in support of its Emerging Technologies portfolio, which addresses U.S. and partner-nation priorities to safeguard dual-use research and advanced technologies from misuse, diversion, and exploitation by adversaries. Experts are engaged in a consultative manner across activities ranging from one-off strategic consultations and technical reports to subject-matter support for project implementation and proposal response. 

This program is focused on addressing and mitigating the exploitation and exfiltration of dual-use research, data, and technology in academia, the private sector, and during international collaborations. In alignment with NSPM-33, NSPM-3, and U.S. export control regimes (e.g., EAR, ITAR, Wassenaar), CRDF Global programming develops institutional resilience and strengthens technology governance across partner regions. 

Typical engagements support technical training, skills development, and organizational capacity development through workshops, conferences, consultations, and localization of standards and U.S.-aligned security benchmarks. CRDF Global works with researchers, academics, scientists, administrators, executives, regulators, and policymakers to improve, enhance, plan, and take action to prevent the licit and illicit transfer of research, data, and technology to malign state and non-state actors.  

The portfolio draws on a wide range of expertise. Applicants are invited to indicate the areas in which they contribute most effectively; experience across multiple categories is welcomed but not required. 

Areas of Expertise 

CRDF Global’s Emerging Technologies portfolio draws on experts who help organizations strengthen research security and technology governance through practical, applied activities. Engagements often call for skill in interactive facilitation and in developing case studies and tabletop exercises that bring real-world threat scenarios to life. Experts may also be asked to advise government on policy and regulatory framework development, assess vulnerabilities at research institutions and laboratories, and build practical tools and training to support security best practice implementation. The areas below represent the primary domains of expertise that support these activities; applicants may contribute in one or multiple categories.. 

1. Governance and Security 

Specialists in the policy, security, and compliance frameworks that protect research and technology across sectors. Familiarity with the threat landscape posed by malign actors targeting emerging technologies is required; deep technical expertise in a specific science or engineering discipline is not. Areas of focus include: 

• Research Security Policy Development — drafting institutional SOPs, policies, and compliance frameworks for research integrity and security in government and academic settings. 

• Export Control and Technology Transfer Compliance — implementing ITAR, EAR, and Wassenaar requirements in practical research and industry contexts. 

• Due Diligence and Compliance — screening for foreign influence, malign partnerships, and predatory contracts. 

• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Systems — designing institutional systems that track compliance and due diligence processes across projects. 

• Enterprise Risk Management for R&D — applying structured methodologies (ISO 31000, NIST RMF) to research and technology programs. 

• Insider Threat Program Development — behavioral analytics, reporting mechanisms, and response plans. 

• Conflict-of-Interest and Foreign Affiliation Analysis — identifying participation in adversary talent programs, predatory conferences, and covert affiliations. 

• Intellectual Property Protection — implementing policies and procedures to safeguard patents, trade secrets, and proprietary technology. 

• Secure Contracting and Legal Review — reviewing agreements for predatory clauses, developing model MOUs, and ensuring enforceable protections for technology transfer. 

• Physical and Personnel Security — identifying gaps in access controls, personnel reliability programs, and laboratory or facility hardening. 

• Data Governance and Sovereignty — managing sensitive research data, including controlled unclassified information, across borders. 

2. Technology-Specific Expertise 

Practitioners and researchers who can speak with authority to the incentives, capabilities, trajectories, and risks of a specific emerging technology, and who can inform programming that addresses the opportunities and vulnerabilities particular to that technology. Priority domains include: 

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning — frontier models (large language models, foundation models), adversarial AI, AI red-teaming, ethics and safety, and applications in cyber defense and critical infrastructure. 

• Astronautics and Space Technologies — satellite communications, navigation, launch infrastructure, space situational awareness, and commercial space applications. 

• Quantum Information Sciences — quantum computing, quantum sensing (radar, metrology), quantum communications (QKD), and algorithmic and cryptographic security. 

• Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering — unmanned aerial systems (UAS), hypersonics, propulsion systems, and dual-use aerospace components. 

• Microelectronics and Semiconductors — chip design (EDA tools), lithography, fabrication, packaging and assembly/test, and supply chain integrity. 

• Advanced Materials and Manufacturing — nanomaterials, additive manufacturing, composites, rare earth elements, and advanced coatings. 

• Other Priority Dual-Use Sectors — neuroscience, robotics, photonics, energy storage, and smart-city infrastructure (including surveillance backdoor risks). 

3. Analysis, Risk Assessment, and Case Study Development 

Analysts, researchers, and authors who translate the threat picture into operational and instructional material. Areas of focus include: 

• Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) analysis to track foreign influence and illicit technology transfer pathways. 

• Vulnerability assessments of research institutions, laboratories, and industry partners. 

• Development of case studies — anonymized, scenario-based, or drawn from documented incidents — that illustrate research security risks for academic, industry, and government audiences. 

• Design of tabletop exercises, simulations, and red-team scenarios focused on emerging technology use and misuse. 

• Production of toolkits, briefings, and training materials that translate complex technical or policy content for operational audiences. 

4. Network Connectors and Program Champions 

Senior practitioners and well-networked professionals whose contribution is convening expertise and facilitating connections to the appropriate stakeholders. Areas of focus include: 

• Identifying and recommending additional experts, particularly in regions and technical communities where CRDF Global is expanding its presence. 

• Championing the program within professional networks, including universities, professional associations, government bodies, and industry consortia. 

• Engaging communities that are typically underrepresented in research security programming, including international researchers, early-career experts, and practitioners outside traditional policy networks. 

• Advising on the credibility and reception of CRDF Global's approach, framing, and partner selection within target audiences. 

Illustrative Activities 

Experts on the Emerging Technologies bench may be asked to: 

• Provide policy guidance to partner governments on aligning national frameworks with U.S. and international best practices. 

• Support proposal development with subject-matter expertise to strengthen competitive bids. 

• Conduct vulnerability assessments of research institutions, laboratories, and industry partners. 

• Deliver regional workshops on research security, IP protection, and technology transfer governance. 

• Develop toolkits, SOPs, and case studies on technology security for partner institutions. 

• Design and facilitate tabletop exercises, simulations, or red-team scenarios focused on emerging technology use and misuse. 

• Review contracts, memoranda, and agreements with foreign institutions and provide associated legal training. 

• Identify and recruit additional experts, partners, and pilot institutions. 

How to Apply 

Submit your CV through the CRDF Global Talent Portal at the link below. Applicants are encouraged to indicate the area or areas in which their expertise is most relevant. Submissions from candidates whose experience spans multiple categories, or sits at the intersection of these areas, are welcomed.