New America Congratulates Cybersecurity Policy Fellow Tarah Wheeler on US/UK Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award

Washington, D.C.—New America congratulates Cybersecurity Policy Fellow Tarah Wheeler, who was recently selected for the prestigious Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award. 

Wheeler will conduct research at Oxford University and in conjunction with the UK National Health Service (NHS) on defining cyber war crimes and mitigating civilian bystander harms in nation-state sponsored cyberattacks. Wheeler’s Fulbright-supported research will explore both the technical and the social elements of protecting people against cyberconflict, by examining the civilian impact of the WannaCry ransomware attack on the NHS. 

Wheeler joined New America as a cybersecurity policy fellow in 2017. She is an information security researcher, political scientist in the area of international conflict, and author of Women In Tech: Take Your Career to The Next Level With Practical Advice And Inspiring Stories.

“I’m elated to have been selected for the US Fulbright Scholarship,” Tarah Wheeler said. “Often, the hidden victims of cyberwarfare are civilians, uncounted in the toll taken by state-sponsored cyberconflict, and it will be an honor to help shine a light on how ordinary people are personally affected by distant conflict unexpectedly spilling over into their jobs, healthcare, homes, food supply, and even lives.”

“All of us at New America are pleased to congratulate Tarah on this greatly-deserved Fulbright Cyber Security Award. Her contributions to cyberattack mitigation research has the potential to prevent real harm in the future," said Peter Bergen, Vice President of Global Studies and Fellows at New America.

“We are looking forward to hosting Tarah, as her work will nicely complement ongoing projects looking at cyber harm and resilience from a variety of angles (legal, sociological, economic, etc.), which we hope might lead to further collaborations.” said Katherine Fletcher, Coordinator of Cyber Security Oxford, the university-wide network of cyber security researchers and practitioners.