Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship

The Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity (ELBI) Fellowship inspires and connects the next generation of biosecurity leaders and innovators.

Launched in 2012, ELBI is a highly competitive, part-time program that provides an opportunity for talented graduate students and professionals to deepen their expertise, expand their network, and build their leadership skills through a series of events coordinated by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The fellowship boasts over 300 alumni with backgrounds in government, national security, private industry, science, law, public health, medicine, global health, journalism, the social sciences, and academia.

As an ELBI fellow, you will:

• Learn about biosecurity history, policy, and practice
• Identify career development opportunities in the biosecurity field
• Network with senior biosecurity leaders
• Connect with other talented graduate students and professionals working on important biosecurity initiatives
• Develop and sharpen key professional skills to advance your career
• Access resources and participate in events focused on the most current, relevant topics in biosecurity
   

Program overview

The part-time fellowship runs over a 10-month period and requires a minimal time commitment to accommodate fellows’ busy work or academic schedules. There is no need for fellows to relocate.

Activities include:

• A biosecurity workshop and networking event in the Washington, DC area
• A biosecurity workshop and networking event in an international location
• An ELBI research and practice symposium with ELBI alumni in the Washington, DC area
• Additional networking events

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security covers travel expenses (air and ground), meals, and lodging for the 2 workshops and the symposium.

 

Application requirements

To be eligible to apply, prospective fellows must:

• Have graduated from a masters or doctoral program, be currently enrolled in a doctoral program, OR have at least 3 years of professional experience in national security, public health, medicine, biotechnology, laboratory sciences, global health, or a related field
• Be from countries that do not have standing embargoes or sanctions as determined by the US Department of State or US Department of Treasury, respectively

Prospective fellows must submit all required application materials by the date listed on the ELBI application page.

The ELBI program accepts 30 fellows into each class.
 

Program Staff

• Tom Inglesby, MD
  Director
• Anita Cicero, JD
  Deputy Director
• Amanda K. Mui, MPH
  Managing Senior Analyst & ELBI Program Director
• Benjamin Wakefield, MSc
  Senior Analyst & ELBI Program Deputy Director
• Crystal Watson, DrPH, MPH
  Senior Scholar

Current Fellows

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has accepted 30 professionals and scholars into its Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative (ELBI) fellowship program for 2024. The 2024 ELBI Fellows are:

• Adejare (Jay) Atanda, Department of Homeland Security, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office
• Kyla Britson, HHS/ASPR/BARDA
• Audrey Cerles, Gryphon Scientific
• Samuel Curtis, The Future Society
• Barbara Del Castello, RAND Corporation
• Christopher East, The Council on Strategic Risks
• Francesco Gaetano Fazzi, KPMG
• Kevin Flyangolts, Aclid
• Lauren Formica, Deloitte
• Anemone Franz, 80,000 Hours
• Charlotte Hammer, University of Cambridge
• Seth Judson, Johns Hopkins University
• Abraar Karan, Stanford University, Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine
• Karishma Krishna Kurup, Chatham House
• Nang Thu Thu Kyaw, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (assignee to NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)
• Chris Li, Harvard University
• Louison Mazeaud, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
• Zeena Nisar, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology
• Kikiope Oluwarore, World Health Organization
• Paul Opheim, Department of the Air Force
• Cristian Ovadiuc, University of Washington School of Public Health
• Bernard Owusu Agyare, Center for Global Health Science and Security (CGHSS) - Georgetown University
• Andreas Prenner, European Commission
• Claire Qureshi, Helena / Effective Giving
• Daniel Rice, SecureBio / Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Andrew Rosenblum, American University Washington College of Law
• Philippe Sessou, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic
• Alex Tasker, University of Bristol
• Iris Vennis, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands
• Nicole Wheeler, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham