Dylan Spaulding merges science and politics to push for nuclear peace

What was your research area?

For my PhD and postdocs, I used shock waves to compress and heat up minerals to understand planetary evolution and structure.

What were you looking for in a job?

I wasn’t sure. My field overlapped significantly with nuclear weapons research, which I didn’t want to do. I enjoyed teaching and research, but the research requires expensive equipment, so it would be no small feat to start a university lab.

As I became increasingly aware of crises—climate change, nuclear weapons, geopolitical instability—I felt it was an unjustifiable luxury to do research that was distant from societal applications.

How did you get to the Union of Concerned Scientists?

It was a natural pivot. But there are not a lot of full-time science policy positions outside of Washington, DC. When this position opened in 2022, I applied, and since it’s remote first, I could stay in California.

How do you spend your time?

Broadly, I am trying to work toward a world without nuclear weapons. The US is starting to build up a new arsenal and positioning itself for what increasingly looks like a three-way arms race with Russia and China. My research suggests steps toward a safer future.

Specifically, I have been looking at plutonium aging in nuclear weapons. I look at the unclassified literature to form recommendations about whether new pits are needed. I don’t think they are.

What do you like about your work?

I get to delve into new fields—history, political science—and see the intersections and how physics influences geopolitics.

How do you use your physics background?

My lab experience gives me insights into the tools that the national labs use to understand the nuclear stockpile. Having designed and done analogous experiments with nonnuclear materials at the same facilities, I know what types of data they can collect.

What new skills have you needed to pick up?

Writing about technical topics for nontechnical audiences is the biggest one.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Scientists have a role to play in translating our expertise into sound policy choices. There is a vacuum in that space.