Expertise Nuclear Weapons Policy, US-Russia
Isabelle Williams is a Senior Director at NTI, where she leads and supports projects in the Global Nuclear Policy program. Her work currently focuses on exploring the components of a world without nuclear weapons, reassessing nuclear deterrence, and understanding cascading nuclear effects and their policy implications. Williams also supports implementation of NTI-wide strategic priorities.
Since joining NTI in 2007, Williams has focused on projects across the spectrum of NTI’s nuclear policy work. She led multi-year Track 1.5 dialogues on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, conducted analysis on the nexus of emerging technology and nuclear security, supported Euro-Atlantic security efforts, coordinated partnerships with organizations and governments around the world, and led regional consultations on disarmament and nonproliferation. She has frequently briefed governments and participated in international conferences on nuclear issues.
Williams holds a BA and MA in International Studies from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Before NTI, she worked with the Partnership for Global Security, the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Nuclear Security Implications of AI and Emerging Technologies: A FutureSafe Analysis of Risks and Opportunities was motivated by the vision for applying technology to reduce catastrophic nuclear, biological, and other advanced technological threats to human civilization.
Despite the high stakes, the economic and financial considerations of nuclear weapons use remain underexplored. This paper examines several decades of research on economic and financial effects of nuclear weapons use, and explores the key gaps in our understanding of effects in today’s interconnected world.
This paper offers a focused set of recommendations for specific commitments related to practical and achievable actions that States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) could take to advance the NPT’s goals and achieve success at the 10th NPT Review Conference.
Twenty-six years ago, Ted Turner watched a 60 Minutes II report that shook him. The segment highlighted a sobering reality: more than a decade after the end of the Cold War, thousands of nuclear weapons remained deployed around the world. Turner didn’t just take note—he acted.
Isabelle Williams serves as a senior director at NTI. She leads and supports projects across the organization, including understanding nuclear effects and advancing a vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. Isabelle spoke with NTI intern Siri Beck-Friis about her work, background, and lazy hobbies.
New research is beginning to reveal how nuclear use could trigger widespread environmental damage, economic disruption, societal upheaval, and global instability. A modern, evidence-based understanding of these risks is essential for decision-makers and the public to grasp what is at stake if nuclear deterrence fails.
Creating a new framework for a secure nuclear future without nuclear weapons
Past Project Devising new strategies and approaches to move towards a world without nuclear weapons
Examining the implications of AI and other emerging technologies for nuclear security – both opportunities and challenges.
Past Project Working toward a shared vision of a nuclear weapons-free world
Past Project Developing a new generation of leaders
Past Project Developing institutional capacity and analysis to shape nuclear dialogue and policy in key regions throughout the world
Past Project Moving past Cold War-era thinking
Past Project Working toward a world without nuclear weapons
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