Allison Pytlak is the Senior Fellow and Director of the Cyber Program at the Stimson Center.
Her research on cybersecurity has examined the interplay between cyber operations and international relations including state-centric cyber policy and multilateral governance structures, with a focus on United Nations (UN) processes and frameworks. In this context Pytlak has leveraged her significant experience in multilateral arms control and disarmament policy to identify opportunities for effectively advancing international law, norms and governance frameworks towards reducing cyber harm. Current projects focus on accountability and deterrence, multilateral policy and process, as well as cybercrime scam operations.
In her prior role with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Pytlak monitored and reported on the UN’s working group on state behavior on cyber space and played an important role as a liaison and advocate for civil society participation. She has researched, published, and provided numerous trainings about the gendered and human rights-based dimensions of cyber security and diplomacy.
Prior to joining Stimson, Pytlak managed WILPF’s disarmament program where she contributed to its monitoring and analysis of UN disarmament processes including on cyber security and advanced feminist perspectives on international security topics through research and advocacy. Pytlak has worked within international civil society disarmament networks for more than 15 years, including as former staff of the Control Arms Coalition and on the governance body of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
She holds an Honours B.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto and an M.A., also in International Relations, from the City University of New York where her graduate research focused on inter-state cyber conflict.
