Seema Gahlaut

Dr. Seema Gahlaut is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for International Trade & Security. She directs all CITS programs aimed at assisting government officials, legislators, industry and the academia on issues relating to implementation and enforcement of controls over WMD-relevant technologies. This includes the Security and Strategic Trade Management Academy, Asian Fellows Program, and Enterprise Outreach Workshops around the world. She is a member of the Export Control Experts Group in the WMD Working Group of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). She recently directed the CARICOM 1540 project aimed to assist the 15 Caribbean nations in designing the legal framework for implementing UNSC Resolution 1540.

She is currently engaged in designing training programs on chemical security for Saudi and Pakistani officials, and an in-depth introductory course on trade compliance for Kenyan officials. She is also developing a training curriculum on implementation of UNSC Resolutions 1540 (regulating non-state actor activities in dual-use transactions such as export, re-export, brokering and facilitation) and 1373 (financing of terrorism), and UN Conventions on combatting money laundering, organized crime and corruption.

She has received research and travel grants from the United States Institute of Peace, Ploughshares Fund, Smith Richardson Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

She has appeared on CNN TalkBack Live and often contributes to Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and BBC Radio (Hindi Service) as an expert. She has been quoted in a variety of publications such as the New York Times, Mother Jones, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Aerospace Daily, Asia Times, Times of India, and Bloomberg.com. Her op-eds have appeared in ForeignPolicy.com, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, The Hindu, The Times of India, Encyclopedia of Globalization, Defense News, Export Practitioner and Journal of Commerce. She has contributed articles to journals such as Orbis, Defense & Security Studies, Comparative Strategy, Arms Control Today, Perspectives on Politics, USI Journal and the Indian Defense Review.

In addition, she continues to brief U.S. and foreign government and private sector officials on a range of international trade and security issues.