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911�� prepares to launch new PhD in cybersecurity engineering

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:57:39 +0000

911�� prepares to launch new PhD in cybersecurity engineering Nathan Kahl Mon, 08/17/2026 - 12:57

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911�� will soon offer a new doctoral degree in cybersecurity engineering, a milestone reflecting both the rapid evolution of the cybersecurity field and the continued growth of the university's Department of Cyber Security Engineering (CYSE). The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) approved the new PhD program in July.

"This is not just an administrative accomplishment," said CYSE Chair Paulo Cesar Costa. "It is an important recognition of the strength, maturity, and future direction of our department. It marks a major step forward in our ability to educate students in cybersecurity with the engineering depth and systems perspective that define CYSE."

He said, “The main challenge we faced with SCHEV was that we had to explain how cybersecurity was already a discipline of its own.” He points to the history of computer science as a useful comparison. Decades ago, computer science existed within electrical engineering before technological advances created the need for dedicated departments and schools. "We were able to convince SCHEV that the new discipline is actually overdue already."

As society becomes increasingly dependent on internet-connected devices, automated systems, and artificial intelligence (AI), the field is expanding beyond defending computer networks. "Cybersecurity includes a lot more than just hacking computers. There's the human factor, there's policymaking, there's how we train people. And now with the advent of AI, it basically turned around all the knowledge that we had about cybersecurity."

Cyberattacks that once required months of planning by highly skilled teams can now be executed far more quickly using AI agents, while researchers are already seeing examples of AI systems exploiting vulnerabilities in other AI systems.

"Cybersecurity and AI are no longer adjacent problems,” said Amarda Shehu, vice president and chief AI officer for the university. “AI supplies new defenses and new attack surfaces, and that demands researchers trained in engineering depth rather than in tools that expire. 911�� has been at the forefront of cybersecurity engineering for years, and this doctorate is the next step—producing those researchers at a public university whose obligation is to widen access to such expertise."

Costa said, "The whole discipline is evolving so fast that if we don't focus on this and get prepared, it's not that the CYSE department is not going to succeed. It's that the country will not have the capable cybersecurity professionals it needs."

For Costa, the PhD program is the latest step in a journey that began more than a decade ago. "When the cybersecurity department was created, it was created in a very unconventional way," he said. "It was created as a result of our own success in the bachelor's program."

The bachelor's degree launched in 2015 as a standalone academic program, with courses taught by faculty from other departments; enrollment quickly exceeded expectations. "It exploded in success," Costa said. "When it crossed 400 students, the dean's office created a new department."

The department later added a master's program, but Costa knew that “any department seeking to be known for its excellence has to have its own PhD program."

By 2023, he believed the department had the necessary infrastructure. "When I became chair, I allocated a lot of resources to start that program; it requires a lot more than just one guy writing stuff," Costa said.

Costa credited CYSE Professor Zhengdao Wang and Assistant Professor Tanvir Arafin for their extensive work developing and refining the proposal.

Wang said the program is designed to educate the next generation of cybersecurity experts. "We have an interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes security by design, integrates AI throughout the curriculum and research, and prepares graduates to address emerging challenges. The program will translate fundamental discoveries into practical solutions while strengthening the cybersecurity workforce and research enterprise.”

The college will implement a recruitment plan for the program soon, and it will be listed on the University Catalog in the near future.

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From military medicine to health policy: A distinguished alum reflects on his PhD experience

Heather Carroll — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:24:04 +0000

From military medicine to health policy: A distinguished alum reflects on his PhD experience Heather Carroll Mon, 08/10/2026 - 10:24

Key Takeaways

Christian Betancourt, PhD Health Services Research ’22, will receive the 911�� College of Public Health’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award for his leadership in military, federal, and academic health care.
Betancourt credits 911��’s mentorship and hands-on research with helping him translate complex data into evidence-based health policy.
Now an assistant professor at Uniformed Services University and deputy chief within the Defense Health Agency’s Health Informatics Division, Betancourt mentors future military health care leaders.

Christian Betancourt, PhD Health Services Research '22, and the College of Public Health's 2026 Distinguished Alumni, discusses how the mentorship and hands-on research at 911�� continue to influence his work at Uniformed Services University and the Defense Health Agency.

Christian Betancourt
photo provided

Four years after earning his PhD in Health Services Research, Christian Betancourt will return to 911�� this fall to receive the College of Public Health's 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Today, Betancourt serves as an assistant professor at Uniformed Services University and deputy chief within the Defense Health Agency's Health Informatics Division. Over his nearly three-decade career spanning military, federal, and academic health care, he has led veterans' mental health programs, directed a nationally ranked graduate program, and advanced health informatics and policy across the military health system.

Bentacourt recently reflected on how his 911�� experience continues to influence his career and daily decisions.

Why did you choose the 911�� College of Public Health?

After more than 20 years as a financial and administrative officer in federal health care, including time with the Navy, Marine Corps, and Veterans Affairs, I had a deep operational understanding of the system's challenges. I chose 911�� because I wanted to move from managing these challenges to fundamentally understanding and solving them. The PhD in Health Services Research has a strong reputation for rigorous, policy-focused research. Its location near the nation's capital and direct connections to major health systems like the Defense Health Agency was the perfect match to bridge my experience with the academic expertise needed to drive meaningful, evidence-based change in federal health care.

What experiences at 911�� had the greatest impact?

The mentorship I received was the cornerstone of my experience. My dissertation committee, especially my chair, Panagiota Kitsantas, treated me as a future colleague, pushing me to think critically about policy, access, and outcomes. My dissertation on substance-use disorders and mental health among U.S. veterans allowed me to apply both quantitative and qualitative research methods to a topic I’m passionate about. My coursework also provided the methodological toolkit I now use at the Defense Health Agency to analyze data and inform policy decisions.

The hands-on research opportunities were equally transformative. As the sole recipient of the Navy's DUINS (Duty Under Instruction) Scholarship to attend 911��, I was able to fully immerse myself in my research.

How did the PhD in Health Services Research program help prepare you for the work you're doing today?

911�� equipped me with the skills to translate complex data into actionable policy insights. The program taught me how to systematically investigate complex health care challenges using rigorous research methodologies. Today, I rely on quantitative data analysis, program evaluation, and qualitative research to understand both the "what" and the "why" behind health trends and develop data-driven solutions.

Just as importantly, my time at 911�� profoundly shaped my identity as an educator and mentor. Experiencing the faculty's dedicated mentorship inspired me to pay that forward in my own teaching. The rigorous academic standards and collaborative environment continue to inform how I develop curricula and mentor the next generation of military health care leaders and public health professionals.

What would you say to someone considering a degree in public health or health services research?

If you are driven to not just work in the health care system but to make the system itself work better, this is the field for you. My career began on the front lines of military medicine, and I saw the challenges firsthand. A degree in Health Services Research gives you the tools to address those challenges on a systemic level. Your work can improve care for thousands or even millions of people by shaping policy, optimizing resources, and ensuring that decisions are based on evidence, not just tradition. It's uniquely challenging and incredibly rewarding.

Learn more about the 2026 911�� Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Learn more about the PhD in Health Services Research.

Considering a PhD in Health Services Research?

Alum Christian Betancourt says the combination of policy-focused research, faculty mentorship, and connections to major federal health organizations gave him a foundation he continues to use in his career.
The program equipped provides with the skills to translate complex data into actionable policy insights and how to systematically investigate complex health care challenges using rigorous research methodologies.
Betancourt's advice: If you want to improve health care on a large scale by shaping policy and making evidence-based decisions, 911��’s health services research programs teaches you the tools to do that.

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911�� students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines

Susan Martonik — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:04:49 +0000

911�� students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines Susan Martonik Thu, 07/02/2026 - 11:04

This past spring, nearly a dozen 911�� students received nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships, supporting work across a wide range of fields. Addressing topics from artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom to air pollution to the history of musical instruments, these honors highlight the breadth of student achievement and underscore that funding awards are within reach for students in any field.

“This year alone, 911�� students have benefited from more than $168,000 in funding to further their education, study abroad, engage in meaningful research, and more,” said Megan Bruening, director in the Office of Fellowships. “These prestigious grants and awards open the door to unique opportunities that foster personal growth and build valuable academic and professional skills.”

Several of this year's award recipients were recognized at the May Board of Visitors meeting. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Recent fellowship recipients include:

Ashleigh Williams, Fulbright Award and Berlin Program Dissertation Fellowship
In September 2026, Williams, a historian of race, visual culture, and socialist internationalism, will travel to Germany to conduct research for her dissertation on the racial politics of the German Democratic Republic between 1961 and 1996. Williams is pursuing a doctorate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Cora Sula, Fulbright Award
Sula, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology in the College of Engineering and Computing, will study the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms in Estonia. As one of the few countries with a national rollout of AI-assisted classrooms, Sula will investigate how this initiative is shaping Estonian teachers’ professional practices and classroom pedagogy.

Lina Bondesson, Critical Language Scholarship
Selected from a competitive pool of more than 4,500 applicants nationwide, Bondesson, a conflict analysis and resolution major in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, will study Korean language and culture. The opportunity is part of a U.S. State Department program that provides immersive experiences in languages critical to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.

Xavier Isaac, Boren Fellowship
An international security major in the Schar School of Policy and Government, Isaac’s fellowship will allow him to travel to Japan. The Boren award provides funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical languages abroad while committing to future public service to enhance U.S. capabilities, deterrence, and readiness.

Sofie Strompf, Goldwater Scholarship
Strompf, an Honors College student and neuroscience major in the College of Science, has received funding to continue her education at 911��. Created to support future leaders in the STEM field, the scholarship was awarded for Strompf’s curiosity, discipline, and vision to become a research leader.

Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, COVES Policy Fellowship
Shan, a Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellowship recipient, will spend her summer serving as an advisor at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In this role, she will work on environmental justice-related initiatives, including updates to the environmental justice guidance in the permitting process and supporting community engagement efforts. Shan is a civil and infrastructure engineering major the College of Engineering and Computing.

Yingjie Zhang, COVES Policy Fellowship
A PhD candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology in the College of Science, Zhang will complete his COVES fellowship with Virginia Bio, a statewide nonprofit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the commonwealth. He will bring his research experience in AI-driven drug discovery and development to the fellowship while expanding his understanding of the intersection between science, artificial intelligence, and state-level policy.

Jayme Kurland, Smithsonian Institution Fellowship
Kurland, a PhD candidate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will conduct research at the Smithsonian Museum of American History as part of her predoctoral fellowship. Her dissertation research investigates the roles women have played in the early history of the Fender Electric Instruments Company.

Alexandra Miller, Urban Communication Foundation Research Assistance Grant
Miller received a grant to support her project, “You Can’t Do That Here: Misuse of Space in New York at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.” A doctoral student in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Miller researches green spaces, most recently urban parks and playgrounds in the American Progressive Era.

Ali Kothawala, COMTO DC Scholarship
Kothawala, an earth systems and geoinformation sciences major in the College of Science, received an inaugural Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) DC scholarship in recognition of his academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to advancing excellence in transportation and infrastructure.

The Office of Fellowships supports current 911�� students and alumni in preparing strong applications for nationally competitive grants and scholarships. In the 2025-26 academic year, the office assisted more than 135 students.

“The fellowship application process is worthwhile, even if students or alumni don’t receive an award,” said Bruening. “Applicants strengthen their communication skills, enhance their goal-setting abilities, and expand their professional network, all while gaining clearer direction for their academic and professional path.”

Learn more about Honors College

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School of Music student receives Chadab Foundation Commission

Emily Schneider — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:08:49 +0000

School of Music student receives Chadab Foundation Commission Emily Schneider Wed, 07/01/2026 - 15:08

Michael DeMarco, a Dewberry School of Music doctoral student in music composition at 911��, has been selected for the Chadab Foundation Commission.

Michael G. DeMarco, Dewberry School of Music student. Photo provided.

The commission provides $2,500 in funds to support the composition of a piece, five to seven minutes in length, that will combine jazz with Persian pop and folk music influences. It's one of several scholarships that The Chadab Foundation—which provides financial assistance to promising young artists—has awarded since its creation in 2012, and it is the first time the commission has been offered at 911��.

DeMarco said he was delighted and honored to receive the foundation's support. "The opportunity to write for large ensemble as a young composer is rare," he said. "I am also grateful for the ongoing mentorship of the 911�� music faculty. Their support and guidance are and will continue to be crucial in the composition of this work."

As part of the selection process, DeMarco, who is enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition program, was required to submit a portfolio and a project proposal. School of Music faculty evaluated the applications based on a variety of criteria that included the strength of the proposed works along with evidence of leadership and artistic growth by the applicants.

During his time at 911��, DeMarco, who is a drummer as well as a composer, has heard the premiere of many new works, including Night on the North Sea for solo tuba and electronics, Resistor for the PATHOS Trio, and Stop the Motion for Pierrot ensemble and percussion, which was performed by Director of Concert Bands William L. Lake Jr. in the inaugural Mason Wind Symphony Resonare Project Call for Scores.

DeMarco's At the Foot of the Pantheon was commissioned by the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras symphony and premiered at the Music Center at Strathmore; it received a secondary performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall in June 2026 as part of the New York Symphonic Invitational.

"A deepening understanding of the rich musical traditions around the world continues to inspire me and my appreciation for music and its many forms." —Michael G. DeMarco

DeMarco says he is looking forward to a "fruitful" collaboration with School of Music faculty, including Professor and Mason Jazz Ensemble Director Jim Carroll, as he works on his project over the next several months. And he is eager to enhance his knowledge of Persian pop and folk music: "A deepening understanding of the rich musical traditions around the world continues to inspire me and my appreciation for music and its many forms."

As for the piece itself, which will be premiered by the Mason Jazz Ensemble sometime next spring, DeMarco envisions "a work intertwining the complex histories of jazz and Persian music."

"As a musician, I am excited to embark on this journey of learning, exploration, and creation," he said. "I am grateful to be entrusted with this unique opportunity."

In This Story

Prof. James Carroll

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Center for Mason Legacies scholars discuss ‘Revolutionary Ideas’ at Fairfax event

ckearney — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:28:09 +0000

Center for Mason Legacies scholars discuss ‘Revolutionary Ideas’ at Fairfax event ckearney Wed, 07/01/2026 - 10:28

911�� faculty members and graduate students from the Department of History and Art History and the Center for Mason Legacies (CML) shared their expertise as speakers at the Fairfax 250 history day, a county event held as part of the statewide commemoration of the nation's semiquincentennial.

Distinguished University Professor Rosemarie Zagarri talked about politics in Revolutionary era Fairfax County. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County

Sponsored by the Fairfax History Commission with help from the Historical Society of Fairfax County, the daylong “Revolutionary Ideas—Fairfax County’s American Revolution” conference was co-chaired by CML director and history professor George Oberle and community historian Sue Kovach Shuman and presented at the Fairfax County Government Center in April with programming for all ages.

In a day full of guest lectures, hands-on activities, and research workshops, 911�� history professors Rosemarie Zagarri, Cynthia Kierner, and Oberle presented on “The Big Picture,” addressing the American Revolution's effects on political expectations and shaping the right to vote. Zagarri talked about “Politics in Revolutionary Fairfax,” Kierner discussed “Living the Revolution,” and Oberle presented on “Slavery in Fairfax County in the Revolutionary Era.”

Watch their presentations.

911�� doctoral history students David G. Armstrong, Anne Champlin, and Allessandra DelDonna gave presentations in a session titled “Impacts of the Revolution.”

Armstrong, whose dissertation explores how generations of 911��’s family kept a grasp on political power as the United States expanded, spoke about a Mason family daughter-in-law’s assertion of her property rights.
Champlin, who studies colonial Caribbean, Danish, and American ties, presented insights on “revolutionary” tenant-landlord relations that can be traced between the lines of the Mason Family.
DelDonna, a material culture specialist who entered the doctoral program straight from undergraduate studies, presented on what Mason household objects at Gunston Hall can tell us about the constructed role of the iconic “planter’s wife.”

Watch their presentations.

In the event's demonstration and tabling area, 911�� graduate student Andrew Snowman introduced participants to the Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records Center, where through CML, he has interned and conducted extensive research. Snowman, whose focus area is history of racial policing, works closely with archivist and 911�� alumna Georgia Brown, a longtime CML collaborator and current PhD student.

Hands-on exhibits were designed to engage all ages throughout the day. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County

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Cora Sula awarded Fulbright to study AI in classrooms in Estonia

Martha Bushong — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:31:39 +0000

Cora Sula awarded Fulbright to study AI in classrooms in Estonia Martha Bushong Wed, 06/17/2026 - 12:31

Cora Sula, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology at 911��, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms in Estonia this fall.

Sula works with Assistant Professor Nora McDonald at the intersection of digital agency, AI and identity. Her recent work examines healthcare privacy and the impact of AI chatbot use on teens’ self-concept and well-being—research she presented at CHI 2026 in Barcelona, the world’s leading conference in human-computer interaction.

“I am so thrilled at this opportunity to study the impact of AI on classrooms,” Sula said. “Estonia is one of the few countries with a national rollout of AI-assisted classrooms.”

While AI education initiatives in the United States are expanding, they remain fragmented and locally driven. In contrast, Estonia is pioneering a nationally coordinated approach through its AI Leap program, an initiative led by the Ministry of Education and Research in partnership with OpenAI. The program aims to systematically integrate AI-powered tools into high school teaching and learning.

Sula’s Fulbright project will investigate how this national initiative is shaping teachers’ professional practices and classroom pedagogy. Using a mixed-methods design—including ethnographic observation, semi-structured interviews, and pre/post surveys—her research will explore how educators navigate both the opportunities and challenges of AI integration.

Her Fulbright will be hosted at Tallinn University of Technology, where she will collaborate with Janika Leoste head of the Creativity Matters Lab and local scholars who bring expertise in digital education and policy.

“This is an amazing opportunity to systematically study how AI will transform classrooms for generations to come,” Sula said. “I’m excited to bring what I learn back to my work on AI and teens.”

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Why did the AI agent cross the road?

tdonnel — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:31:17 +0000

Why did the AI agent cross the road? tdonnel Mon, 06/08/2026 - 14:31

Workshopping, an iterative process where creators share ideas, test what works, and refine what doesn’t through collective feedback, is at the heart of any writers’ group. This collaborative dynamic inspired 911�� PhD students Shiwei Hong to explore whether artificial intelligence (AI) could benefit from a similar approach.

Hong developed a novel multi-agent system that simulates a collaborative comedy writing environment in which AI agents generate, critique, and refine humorous content together. Her research, recently accepted to the prestigious 64th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, investigates how structured interaction among AI agents can improve creative output.

Shiwei Hong. Photo provided.

Humor remains challenging for artificial intelligence. “Generating a joke or something that is very funny is actually a very tricky question, because it requires a lot of how humans interpret the generated piece,” said Hong, who is working on a degree in computer science.

She created a “sandbox” environment to mirror real-world creative collaboration, populated by 35 AI agents assigned distinct roles and personalities powered by GPT-4.

“Five agents acted as performers. The rest acted as critics or audience members,” said Hong.

Designing 35 unique agent personas required imagination as well as technical expertise. Drawing on her interest in writing fiction, Hong created characters with varied social and cultural backgrounds, adding depth to the simulated interactions.

In one experimental environment, the performer agents generated two scripts in sequence without feedback; in another, they engaged the audience members in critique and discussion between the rounds of generation. The difference was significant.

Human evaluators compared outputs across multiple criteria, such as humor, coherence, and social tone. In more than 70 percent of cases, evaluators preferred scripts produced in the second round of the discussion-based environment.

The improvement appears to stem from collective learning. As agents interact, they build on shared insights, identifying patterns in audience preferences and refining their outputs accordingly. Technically, this process is supported by a shared conversational memory stored in a vector database, allowing agents to retrieve relevant past exchanges and incorporate them into new content. The result is an iterative, emergent form of creativity that begins to resemble human collaboration.

Looking ahead, Hong and her advisor, Assistant Professor Zhicong Lu, aim to expand the system by incorporating human participants and richer modes of interaction. Future directions include integrating voice, gestures, and immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to better capture the nuances of live performance.

“In real comedy, we have faces, gestures, and real voices,” she said. “We hope to bring more of that into the system.”

By demonstrating that workshopping can significantly enhance machine-generated humor, Hong’s work suggests the future of artificial intelligence may lie not only in more advanced individual models, but also in communities of agents learning, creating, and perhaps even laughing together.

Overview of Multi-Agent Comedy Club. Credit: arXiv (2026). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2602.14770

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911�� PhD student recognized for blockchain privacy research

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:51:19 +0000

911�� PhD student recognized for blockchain privacy research Nathan Kahl Tue, 06/02/2026 - 06:51

911�� computer science doctoral student Aayush Yadav co-authored a paper that received a Distinguished Paper Award from the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, one of the industry’s premier conferences in the security field. The conference typically accepts around 13 percent of submissions.

Aayush Yadav. Photo provided

The paper addresses a growing challenge in blockchain technology—how to protect sensitive transaction information before it becomes public, focusing on improving privacy protections within blockchain systems while maintaining the transparency and decentralized structure that define the technology.

His research grew out of an internship last summer with Category Labs, a company developing blockchain tools and infrastructure. The work addresses a vulnerability tied to how blockchain transactions are processed before they are officially added to the chain. Traditionally, blockchain transactions are publicly visible before they are finalized. That visibility allows entities responsible for processing transactions to potentially manipulate their order for financial gain.

“These entities can act maliciously in some way,” Yadav said. “Because this information is public, these actors know the direction of the order of the transactions before the rest of the public. And they can take advantage of that.” Consider that if an actor sees that someone is about to make a major purchase or sale, they can quickly place their own trade first, causing the market price to change. The original user then receives a worse price than expected, while the actor profits from the price movement, effectively creating a hidden cost for the user.

The team’s research focuses on encrypting transactions while they are waiting to be processed, helping prevent that kind of exploitation. The goal is to encrypt or hide transactions as they are sent, revealing them later.

The paper introduces new approaches to what researchers call “mempool privacy,” referring to the protection of transaction data before it becomes part of the public blockchain ledger. The work also explores “threshold encryption,” which requires multiple parties to work together to decrypt transaction data, helping eliminate single points of trust or failure.

Yadav, who is completing his PhD in computer science this year, said his interest in theoretical computer science and algorithms started early in his academic career. “I enjoyed the process of solving problems that were algorithmic in nature,” he said. “Thinking about these abstract things, but then also being able to solve them concretely using an algorithm, is very satisfying.”

He chose 911�� in part because of the university’s large computer science faculty and breadth of expertise. After arriving at 911�� in 2021, Yadav took his first cryptography course with Foteini Baldimtsi, an experience that shaped the direction of his research. “It had the right mix of theory and practice. The problems are very theoretical in some sense, and the way you solve them is theoretical, but at the same time they are grounded in real applications.”

“I am very proud of Aayush,” said Baldimtsi. “Throughout his PhD, he has worked on some of the most important challenges in modern cryptography, including signature protocols and privacy-preserving authentication for digital identities, while also focusing on post-quantum security. The award is a well-deserved recognition of his talent, dedication, and impact on the field.”

Later this year he will start a tenured-track faculty position at his alma mater, Rutgers University–Camden.

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The making of a Carter School conflict coach

Paul Snodgrass — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:58:50 +0000

The making of a Carter School conflict coach Paul Snodgrass Fri, 05/29/2026 - 09:58

When the time came to apply to graduate school, Oakley Hill applied to a single program: the master’s in conflict analysis and resolution at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at 911��.

Born and raised in Utah, Hill attended Utah Valley University (UVU) where he majored in integrated studies, focusing on peace and justice and moral philosophy, supplemented with research and critical thinking courses. “From my studies in peace and justice, I knew I wanted to study peace and conflict resolution, and I wanted to be in the D.C. area," said Hill. "I wanted a program that taught practical skills and would help me find a career where I could have a positive, social impact. And the multidisciplinary nature of the program was very appealing.”

Oakley Hill. Photo by Katelyn Smoot.

Hill went on to apply for his PhD at the Carter School after discovering Solon Simmon’s Root Narrative Theory (RNT) during his graduate studies. He knew he wanted to build his career as a researcher around this theory.

"[RNT] helps us understand how people perceive political situations… the specific story they believe themselves to be experiencing,” he said.

For Hill, RNT was more than an abstract, academic tool. “[RNT] helped me understand my own paradigm shifts, such as moving from Mormon to ex-Mormon and from the political right to the left,” he explained.

“I used to think I have ideas, but now I know the ideas have me,” he joked.

In 2024, Hill partnered with Carter School professor Solon Simmons and the Narrative Transformation Lab at the Carter School to employ the first national Justice Languages of America Survey (JLAS). Distributed a week before the presidential election, the survey captured how Americans were thinking about politics just before they voted.

The survey found that, on average, liberals, moderates, and conservatives tended to perceive a distinct political situation. Conservatives tended to perceive a situation where criminals and foreigners threatened the innocent, and the masses coerced citizens, while the state cheated the people. Liberals tended to perceive a situation where the elite divided society, cheated the people, and excluded minorities while the state coerced citizens. Moderates appeared to be self-aware—they scored between conservatives and liberals on almost all JLAS measurements.

Hill also paired the survey with a root narrative analysis of campaign speeches from both presidential candidates. He found that who the candidates are and what they communicated were strongly correlated with how Americans perceive the political situation, and that how they perceived the political situation was strongly correlated with their preferred candidate.

Simmons appreciated Oakley's insights. “His systematic survey of the moral commitments of the great ideologists over the course of modern history is both pathbreaking and eye-opening,” Simmons said. “It has been a pleasure to work with Oakley in the development and application of root narrative theory, an approach that allows us to measure commitments to elementary antagonisms, the philosophical foundations of disagreement.”

While working toward his degree, Hill has been a lab manager for the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation and the facilitation coordinator at the Carter School’s Point of View International Retreat and Conference Center (POV), where he has worked since 2021.

Point of View offers many services, including mediation. As the facilitation coordinator, Hill assesses the needs of every client who reaches out to the center in need of mediation. A mediator himself, Hill conducts informal intake interviews to identify the client’s goals and issues, before matching them with an appropriate, experienced mediator.

“Some clients are looking for conflict resolution in a general sense, such as inter- or intra-departmental issues, interpersonal conflict training or restorative justice practices," said Hill. "Other clients are more interested in strategic planning and require a mediator with a relevant background to engage critical thinking.

"[Hill] has proven to be an invaluable asset to Point of View throughout his time at the Carter School. His ability to match clients with the right mediator ensures that each engagement is tailored to the client's unique goals and objectives—and that meaningful resolutions are achieved,” said Jessica Avila-Franco, event and operations manager at Point of View. “Through his work with the facilitation and mediation program here at POV, we have been able to help numerous public- and private-sector clients reach amicable resolutions to their most pressing challenges."

In the past, Hill coordinated with Point of View to provide services to organizations such as Bowie State University, Loudoun County, and Northern Virginia Community College with their facilitation needs. Privately, Hill has worked as a conflict coach for Latter-day Saint and ex-Mormon families, and mediated dialogues for the Washington, D.C., Police.

As he looks ahead, Hill remains grounded in the same motivation that first drew him to the Carter School: a desire to better understand people and help bridge divides. Whether through advancing RNT research or continuing his hands-on work in mediation and conflict coaching, Hill is committed to applying both theory and practice to real-world challenges. By uncovering the stories people believe they are living, he hopes to contribute to more meaningful dialogue—and ultimately, more constructive paths toward resolution.

Learn more about 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative

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Carter School News

Building Peace
August 6, 2026
Carter School alumna finds harmony between music and mediation
August 4, 2026
Celebrating a Decade of Impact at the 10th Conflict Resolution Youth Summit
July 17, 2026
University Scholar combines art and conflict resolution to build bridges
June 1, 2026
The making of a Carter School conflict coach
May 29, 2026

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911�� biosciences doctoral student turns setbacks into NIH research opportunity

Katarina Benson — Thu, 14 May 2026 17:13:58 +0000

911�� biosciences doctoral student turns setbacks into NIH research opportunity Katarina Benson Thu, 05/14/2026 - 13:13

Beginning a PhD is rarely straightforward. Beginning one just as the world shuts down adds an entirely new dimension to adaptability. For 911�� biosciences PhD student Matthew Lefkowitz, that quality would come to define his doctoral journey.

Lefkowitz at the National Institutes of Health. Photo provided

He entered the program in fall 2019 and had only just begun settling into graduate life when the COVID-19 pandemic brought research across the world to a halt. Laboratories closed, projects paused indefinitely, and traditional academic timelines dissolved almost overnight.

Rather than waiting for things to return to normal, he adapted.

With laboratory access limited, Lefkowitz shifted his focus to coursework. Over the next two years, he completed 52 graduate credit hours. As the pandemic continued to disrupt traditional research pathways, 911�� supported him in pursuing external research opportunities.

After months of persistence, he secured a position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), becoming a pre-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow. There, he worked across two institutes: the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).

The experience placed him in a highly interdisciplinary environment that brought together biology, computational science, and translational research—an ideal fit for his background.

“It combined problem-solving with the opportunity to work on challenges where there isn’t already a clear answer. That made it feel like a natural fit for my interests in math and science,” he said.

At the core of his doctoral work is the study of rare neuromuscular disorders, particularly congenital muscular dystrophy. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning, Lefkowitz’s research aims to better understand disease mechanisms and improve predictions of clinical outcomes, which is an especially complex challenge in the context of rare disease research.

While his interest in neuromuscular disease is informed, in part, by his own experience living with a rare neuromuscular disorder, he is equally motivated by the broader impact this work could have on improving diagnosis and care for patients facing similar conditions.

“The biggest challenge in the field right now is making sense of very small patient populations, which is often the case with rare diseases. When you’re working with such limited data, it becomes much harder to predict outcomes or draw reliable conclusions from what clinicians are observing.”

Before beginning his doctoral studies at 911��, Lefkowitz applied to PhD programs nationwide. Despite strong academic credentials and a biomedical engineering degree from Virginia Tech, he faced widespread rejection.

The challenge, he said, stemmed from his training emphasis in mathematics, systems thinking, and problem-solving rather than extended wet-lab experience—skills that are highly valuable in interdisciplinary research.

911�� saw potential others overlooked.

“Mason didn’t just look at what I hadn’t done,” he said. “They saw the potential of what I could do.”

Since joining 911�� and later gaining experience at the NIH, Lefkowitz said he has grown significantly as both a researcher and an independent scientist.

“I grew in ways I couldn’t have imagined, especially in learning how to advocate for myself,” he said. “You have to take initiative and make those resources work for you. That meant learning to speak up, to position myself in the spaces where science is happening. That experience gave me a level of confidence I didn’t have before.”

Throughout his doctoral journey, mentorship has played a critical role. Lefkowitz credits School of Systems Biology faculty, including Ancha Baranova and Alessandra Luchini, as well as members of his doctoral committee, for providing guidance during pivotal moments.

“The difference was trust. Mason trusted me to figure things out and supported me while I did,” he said. “A PhD doesn’t teach you how to avoid challenges. It teaches you how to respond to them.”

Lefkowitz would like to thank the members of his dissertation committee, including his director and co-chair, Carsten G. Bönnemann, Chief of Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Diseases of Childhood Section at NINDS; chair, Ancha Baranova; and committee members, Donald Lo, Director of the Therapeutic Development Branch at NCATS; and 911��’s Alessandra Luchini and Lance Liotta.

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