Dr Anum A. Khan is a scholar of Defence and Strategic Studies specializing in nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and the security implications of emerging and disruptive technologies. She holds a PhD in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, with her doctoral research focusing on sea-based nuclear deterrence and its implications for strategic stability.

With over a decade of experience in the strategic policy domain, Dr Khan has worked extensively in government-affiliated research and policy environments, including the Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs (ACDA) Branch of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Pakistan. In this role, she contributed to high-level policy analysis, strategic assessments, and briefings on arms control, non-proliferation, nuclear doctrines, export control regimes, and emerging technology-security linkages. She later served as Associate Director (Research) at the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad, where she led multidisciplinary research initiatives, coordinated international collaborations, and organized high-level conferences and Track 1.5/2 dialogues.

Her research adopts a global and multidisciplinary perspective, examining how technological transformation is reshaping international security, deterrence, and governance frameworks. Her work spans nuclear strategy, artificial intelligence and security, cyber deterrence, space and maritime security, and the evolving character of warfare, with relevance extending across major power competition as well as regional dynamics.

In addition to traditional security domains, Dr Khan’s research engages with civil nuclear energy, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and the role of nuclear technologies in climate mitigation and sustainable development, reflecting a broader focus on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and their governance. She has also explored the intersection of technology, security, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including issues of energy security, climate resilience, and equitable access to emerging technologies.

Dr Khan has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, policy reports, and opinion pieces in leading national and international platforms. Her work contributes to global debates on arms control, AI governance, nuclear risk reduction, and emerging technology regulation, and reflects a strong commitment to bridging academic research with policy relevance and strategic communication.

She has been affiliated with prominent international initiatives, including the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Fellowship Programme and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Roundtable for AI, Security and Ethics (RAISE), where she contributes to multistakeholder discussions on responsible AI in the military domain and global security governance.

She has also served as a Project Associate at the University of Leicester on the project “Towards the Third Nuclear Age: Strategic Conventional Weapons and NuclearRev,” an ERC-funded research initiative under the supervision of Professor Andrew Futter, contributing to scholarly work on the evolving dynamics of strategic competition and nuclear deterrence.

As an academic, Dr Khan serves as a Visiting Lecturer in International Relations, mentoring students and supervising research in strategic and security studies, thereby contributing to capacity-building and knowledge development.

Dr Khan is also the founder of the International Forum for Strategy, Security and Technology (ISST)- a woman-led and forward-looking research platform based in Pakistan, aimed at advancing inclusive, globally relevant, and policy-oriented research. In a field traditionally dominated by male practitioners, her leadership represents an important step toward greater diversity and inclusion in strategic and security discourse. Through ISST, she actively promotes the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, supports the role of women in defence and technology sectors, and advocates for more inclusive and representative policy frameworks.

Through ISST, Dr Khan aims to establish a globally engaged platform that integrates strategy, technology, and development perspectives, contributing to informed policymaking, responsible innovation, and sustainable security in an increasingly complex international environment.