Allison Pytlak

Allison Pytlak (@a_pytlak) is the Program Lead of the Cyber Program at the Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington D.C. that aims to enhance international peace and security through analysis and outreach. Her work in this area has examined inter-state cyber operations and international governance structures with a focus on United Nations processes and frameworks. Allison has leveraged her significant experience in multilateral arms control and disarmament policy to identify opportunities to effectively advance law and norms for the prevention of cyber harm.

In her prior role with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Allison 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.

She managed WILPF’s disarmament program, contributing 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. Allison 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. She is a listed expert with the Forum on the Arms Trade, a 2018 UN Women Metro-NY “Champion of Change” and co-host of the podcast series Think & Resist.