Ian Haydon is a biosecurity research resident at RAND in the Center on AI, Security, and Technology. He leads research partnerships and scientific and policy engagement focused on AI-enabled biological tools. His work helps decisionmakers navigate emerging threats and opportunities at the intersection of AI and biotechnology.
Prior to RAND, Haydon trained as a scientist under Nobel laureate David Baker then led strategic communications and AI policy initiatives for the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington. He was the lead developer of the 2024 Community Statement on Responsible AI x Biodesign (https://responsiblebiodesign.ai/), a scientist-led framework for responsible research adopted by 180+ senior researchers globally and endorsed by biosecurity experts across government, industry, and academia.
Haydon has advised White House officials and intelligence community experts on emerging biotechnology and national security matters. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Science, Nature, and other outlets. He holds an M.S. in biological design and was a mass media fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Education
M.S. in biological physics, structure, and design, University of Washington; B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology, University of California, Davis