CSET’s newly launched Emerging Technology Observatory offers data and insight on critical emerging technology issues. Building on CSET’s deep data and analytic capabilities, ETO transforms emerging tech information from diverse sources into accessible tools and resources – helping you analyze, communicate, and act with data-driven confidence.

In this event, ETO Analytic Lead Zachary Arnold introduced ETO’s three inaugural tools—the semiconductor-focused Supply Chain Explorer, the Country Activity Tracker for national-level AI indicators, and the Map of Science, our exploration engine for global research in science and technology. Zach joined CSET Senior Advisor Melissa Flagg and CSET consultant John VerWey to discuss the insights that can be drawn from ETO’s unique resources.

Recording and Discussion

A recording and written transcript of the full event are below.

Participants

Zachary Arnold is the Analytic Lead for CSET’s Emerging Technology Observatory initiative. He previously served as a CSET Research Fellow, publishing widely cited analyses on issues including AI safety, global technology investment flows, and trends in high-skilled immigration. His writing has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, Foreign Affairs, and leading law reviews. Before joining CSET, Zach was an associate at Latham & Watkins, a judicial clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and a researcher and producer of documentary films. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal, and an A.B. (summa cum laude) in Social Studies from Harvard University.

Dr. Melissa Flagg is a Senior Advisor at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University, where she previously was employed as a Senior Fellow. Melissa works and has worked in a variety of consultancy, senior fellow, and board member roles. Previously she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, responsible for policy and oversight of Defense Department science and technology programs including basic research through advanced technology development and the DoD laboratory enterprise. She has worked at the State Department, the Office of Naval Research, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Army Research Laboratory. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a B.S. in Pharmacy.

John VerWey is an East Asia National Security Advisor at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In this role, he uses his background in strategic trade controls and U.S.-China technology assessments to support U.S. government export control, supply chain security, and nonproliferation missions. He also serves as a consultant to Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Before joining PNNL he worked for the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. He holds a graduate degree in international political economy from the London School of Economics and undergraduate degrees in Asian studies and history from Gonzaga University.