New Faculty, New Degrees Elevate UT as a National Security Leader

The University of Texas at Austin is making one of its largest investments in national security education in recent years, substantially expanding its faculty, launching new academic programs, and creating more opportunities for students interested in public service, diplomacy, intelligence, defense and international affairs. Across multiple colleges and schools, new faculty members and national security leaders will strengthen teaching, research and professional development opportunities while preparing students to serve our nation amid the complex security challenges of the 21st century.

Central to this effort is the Clements Center for National Security, which serves as one of the University's flagship centers advancing national security education and scholarship. Together with the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the School of Civic Leadership, the departments of History and Government, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Applied Research Laboratories, and other units across campus, the Clements Center helps position UT among the nation's leading universities for the study of national security.

Beginning this fall, UT will welcome more than 20 new faculty members and national security leaders whose expertise spans history, strategy, diplomacy, intelligence, military affairs and international relations. Their appointments are distributed across campus, including the Clements Center, Strauss Center, School of Civic Leadership, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Center for Humanities, and the College of Liberal Arts. Collectively, they will teach students across the University, expanding opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students while strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in national security research and teaching.

"UT Austin has long been one of the premier universities for studying national security, and we are proud to continue growing our ranks of world-class scholars and practitioners committed to strengthening our work and expertise in this critical field," said Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden. "During a time of growing threats and challenges to America's security, these new hires, along with the launch of new degrees like the Strategy and Statecraft undergraduate major and the master's in national security, reaffirm UT Austin's academic leadership and commitment to serving our great nation."

These new faculty members and leaders are coming to UT from positions with renowned institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University's Hoover Institution, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, RAND, Naval War College, and the U.S. Army.

New faculty members and national security leaders include these experts:

Cole Bunzel (Ph.D., Princeton), Middle East history and modern Islamic radicalism

Sara Castro (Ph.D., North Carolina), intelligence, strategy, and U.S.-China relations

Matthew Conklin (Ph.D., Chicago), international security, U.S. foreign policy, and grand strategy

Jeremy Friedman (Ph.D., Princeton), international history, grand strategy, and the global Cold War

Matthew Fuhrmann (Ph.D., Georgia), international security, nuclear deterrence and strategy

Steven Galpern (Ph.D., UT Austin), intelligence analysis and Middle East policy

Wayne Hsieh (Ph.D., Virginia), military history

Thomas Jamison (Ph.D., Harvard), naval history

Peter Kwon (Ph.D., Harvard), military history and Asian history

Charlie Laderman (Ph.D., Cambridge), diplomatic history and military history

Joseph Ledford (Ph.D., UC Berkeley), presidential history and Latin America policy

David Marlowe, Central Intelligence Agency; intelligence tradecraft

Angelica Martinez (Ph.D., George Mason), retired U.S. Army officer; conflict, strategy, and military power

Austin Matthews (Ph.D., LSU), comparative politics, authoritarian dictatorships, and civil-military relations

Iskander Rehman (Ph.D., Sciences Po), grand strategy, net assessment, history of the Roman Empire, and European political history

Dirk Ringgenberg (Ph.D., Iowa State), retired U.S. Army officer; military history and technology

Jeffrey Rogg (Ph.D., Ohio State), intelligence history and tradecraft

Erik Sand (Ph.D., MIT), international relations, technology and national power

William Whitham (Ph.D., Princeton), European history, authoritarianism and radical movements

Brandon Yoder (Ph.D., Virginia), international relations, security, and U.S.-China relations

These new faculty members and leaders join an already distinguished community of national security scholars and practitioners across the University. They will collaborate with faculty members such as Sheena Chestnut Greitens, associate professor at the LBJ School and founding director of the Asia Policy Program, and Alexandra Sukalo, assistant professor at the LBJ School and director of the Intelligence Studies Project, who have helped establish UT as a national leader for the study of international security, intelligence and foreign policy.

The University's expanding academic offerings provide students with multiple pathways to pursue careers in national security and public service. At the graduate level, the LBJ School of Public Affairs will welcome its first class in the Master of National Security this fall, providing students with a deep understanding of the foundations of international security, grand strategy, military operations, and national security institutions and politics.

The Clements Center has recently launched the Bachelor of Arts in Strategy and Statecraft in partnership with the School of Civic Leadership, with applications open now for enrollment in Fall 2027. Students will study foundational texts of strategy and examine diplomatic and military history from American and global perspectives. The degree will also combine policy training and internship placement to prepare future leaders to serve our nation.

Undergraduate Longhorns raise the U.S. flag over the Normandy American Cemetery with former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller after visiting Omaha Beach at dawn during a trip led by the Clements Center.

These new degrees complement the University's existing educational opportunities, including the McCombs School's minor in National Security and International Business and the International Security track of the College of Liberal Arts' International Relations and Global Studies major.

"Texas was already one of the top universities for security studies," said Paul Edgar, the executive director of the Clements Center. "Our existing history and political science faculty are outstanding. Adding these new faculty members and new degree programs, Texas will become a national leader for a long time to come."

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