RAND Summer Associate Cohort 2026
Since 1960, outstanding graduate students have been introduced to RAND through the Graduate Student Summer Associate Program, RAND's premier staff pipeline program. The program has recruited almost 1,700 students from more than 200 graduate programs across the United States and abroad. Summer associates have gone on to become thought leaders in government, the private sector, and academia—and many are currently employed at RAND.
This year, we are pleased to welcome 14 summer associates with a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. To offer greater flexibility, we continue to implement a hybrid model, with some summer associates working in RAND offices and others participating in the program remotely.
Brian Davenport
Brian will work in Engineering and Applied Sciences with Lance Menthe and Li Ang Zhang on a project in RAND Project AIR FORCE. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Maryland. Brian's research interests include space science and technology, atmospheric sciences, national security, and military technology.
Codey Carr
Codey will work in Behavioral and Policy Sciences with Beau Kilmer and Nancy Nicosia on a project in RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Codey's research interests include illicit substance use, drug policy reform, emergency care utilization, and policy analysis.
Demetrius Hernandez
Demetrius will work in Engineering and Applied Sciences with Joel Predd on a project in RAND Global and Emerging Risks. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Notre Dame. Demetrius' research interests include unmanned aerial systems, multi-agent systems, human-centered AI, autonomous systems, and human-machine teaming.
Erik Hazard
Erik will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Stephanie Young on a project in RAND Project AIR FORCE. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. Erik's research interests include defense industrial base, national security, geopolitical economy, supply chains, and acquisitions reform.
Gabriella Colello
Gabriella will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Andrew Stravers and Scott Harold on a project in RAND Project AIR FORCE. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in international relations at the University of California, Irvine. Gabriella's research interests include existential risk, intelligence analysis, and critical security studies.
Georgia Vogt
Georgia will work in Engineering and Applied Sciences with Daniel Burkhart and Krista Langeland on a project in the RAND National Security Research Division. She is pursuing a master's degree in engineering at Purdue University. Georgia's research interests include aircraft design, resilient space systems, space domain awareness, tracking, and deterrence, space policy and governance, and lunar resource utilization.
Jeffrey Love
Jeffrey will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Rachel Lyngaas and Elizabeth Hastings Roer on a project in the RAND National Security Research Division. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in international relations at the University of Oxford. Jeffrey's research interests include sanctions, economic security, quantitative and computational methods, and chokepoints.
John Gantner
John will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Molly Dunigan and Jon Wong on a project in the RAND Arroyo Center. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Kentucky. John's research interests include spatial analysis, strategy, data analysis, and decisionmaking processes.
Kathryn Urban
Kathryn will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Andrew Radin on a project in RAND Project AIR FORCE. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in security studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kathryn's research interests include military doctrine, emerging military technologies, and combat effectiveness.
Mark Thomas-Patterson
Mark will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Mark Cozad and Kimberly Jackson on a project in the RAND National Security Research Division. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mark's research interests include Russia, national security decisionmaking, military strategy, and international security.
Ro Encarnación
Ro will work in Engineering and Applied Sciences with Nelson Lim on a project in RAND Project AIR FORCE. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. Ro's research interests include technology policy, public sector AI, and sociotechnical AI evaluations.
Sarah Chen
Sarah will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Rich Girven and Greg Smith on a project in RAND Global and Emerging Risks. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Sarah's research interests include wargaming and game design, forecasting, emerging technology, kinetic cyber, and influence operations.
Stephen Schick
Stephen will work in Defense and Political Sciences with Michelle Grisé and Amanda Kerrigan on a project in the RAND National Security Research Division. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Southern California. Stephen's research interests include Chinese political economy, emerging technologies, industrial policy, and taxation.
SteVon Felton
SteVon will work in Economics, Sociology, and Statistics on projects with Dionne Barnes-Proby and Jessica Paige in RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure, and with Anita Chandra, Laurie Martin, and Linnea Warren May in RAND Health. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in sociology at Cornell University. SteVon's research interests include criminal justice, policing, and qualitative research.
