Matthew Bunn

Matthew Bunn is a Professor of Practice at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His research interests include nuclear theft and terrorism; nuclear proliferation and measures to control it; the future of nuclear energy and its fuel cycle; and policies to promote innovation in energy technologies. Before coming to Harvard, Bunn served as an adviser to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as a study director at the National Academy of Sciences, and as editor of Arms Control Today. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books and book-length technical reports (most recently Insider Threats), and over 150 articles in publications ranging from Science and Nuclear Technology to Foreign Policy and The Washington Post. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a recipient of the American Physical Society's Joseph A. Burton Forum Award for "outstanding contributions in helping to formulate policies to decrease the risks of theft of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials"; and the recipient of the Hans A. Bethe Award from the Federation of American Scientists for "science in service to a more secure world."

Selected Publications

Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles

• Bunn, Matthew and Olli Heinonen. "Preventing the Next Fukushima." Science 333 (September 16, 2011): 1580-1581.
• Bunn, Matthew, and Martin B. Malin. "Enabling a Nuclear Revival — And Managing its Risks." Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization 4.4 (Fall 2009): 173-191.
• Bunn, Matthew. "A Mathematical Model of the Risk of Nuclear Terrorism." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (September 2006).
• Bunn, Matthew and Anthony Wier. "Terrorist Nuclear Weapon Construction: How Difficult?" Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (September 2006).
• Bunn, Matthew, John P. Holdren, Steve Fetter, and Bob van der Zwaan. "The Economics of Reprocessing Versus Direct Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel." Nuclear Technology (June 2005).
• Bunn, Matthew. "Securing Nuclear Warheads and Materials: Seven Steps for Immediate Action." Austrian Military Periodical, Special Edition, Proceedings of the EU-High Level Scientific International Con. on Strengthening global Practices for Protecting Nuclear Material (2003).

Book Chapters

• Bunn, Matthew, and Kathryn M. Glynn. "Preventing Insider Theft: Lessons From the Casino and Pharmaceutical Industries." Insider Threats. Cornell University Press, 2017.
• Bunn, Matthew, and Scott D. Sagan. "A Worst Practices Guide to Insider Threats." Insider Threats. Cornell University Press, 2017.
• Bunn, Matthew, and Scott D. Sagan. "Introduction: Inside the Insider Threat." Insider Threats. Cornell University Press, 2017.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Beyond Crises The Unending Challenge of Controlling Nuclear Weapons and Materials." Nuclear Weapons Security Crises What Does History Teach. Ed. Henry D. Sokolski. Strategic Studies Institute and US Army War College Press, 2013, 253-278.
• von Hippel, Frank (convening lead author), Matthew Bunn, Anatoli Diakov, Ming Ding, Robert Goldston, Tadahiro Katsuta, M.V. Ramana, Tatsujiro Suzuki, Suyuan Yu (lead authors), and Charles McCombie (contributing author). "Nuclear Energy." Global Energy Assessment: Toward a Sustainable Future. Ed. Johansson, Thomas B., Anand Patwardhan, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, and Luis Gomez-Echeverri. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Bunn, Matthew. Corruption and Nuclear Proliferation. Corruption, Global Security, and World Order. Ed. Robert Rotberg. Brookings Institution Press, 2009, 124-126.

Edited Volumes

• Bunn, Matthew, and Scott D. Sagan, eds. Insider Threats. Cornell University, 2017.
• Laura Diaz Anadon, Matthew Bunn, and Venkatesh Narayanamurti, eds. Transforming U.S. Energy Innovation. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Research Papers/Reports

• Bunn, Matthew, Martin B. Malin, Nickolas Roth, and William H. Tobey. "Key Steps for Continuing Nuclear Security Progress." International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, December 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew, Martin B. Malin, Nickolas Roth, and William H. Tobey. "Preventing Nuclear Terrorism: Continuous Improvement or Dangerous Decline?" Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, March 21, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew, Hui Zhang, and Li Kang. "The Cost of Reprocessing in China." Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, January 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew, and Eben Harrell. "Threat Perceptions and Drivers of Change in Nuclear Security Around the World: Results of a Survey." Report for Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, March 2014.

Public Testimony

• Bunn, Matthew. "Next Steps to Strengthen the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Efforts to Prevent Nuclear Proliferation." Testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and Water, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, April 30, 2008.
• Bunn, Matthew. "The Risk of Nuclear Terrorism – And Next Steps to Reduce the Danger." Testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, April 2, 2008.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Risks of GNEP’s Focus on Near-Term Reprocessing." Testimony before the Committee on Energy and National Resources, U.S. Senate, November 14, 2007.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Assessing the Benefits, Costs, and Risks of Near-Term Reprocessing and Alternatives." Testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and Water, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, September 14, 2006.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Disposition of Excess Plutonium: Rethinking Security Objectives and Technological Approaches." Testimony before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Re, July 26, 2006.
• Bunn, Matthew. "The Case Against a Near-Term Decision to Reprocess Spent Nuclear Fuel in the United States." Testimony to the Subcommittee on Energy, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives, June 16, 2005.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Preventing Nuclear Terrorism." Testimony to the Subcommittee on National Security, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Re, September 24, 2002.

Magazine and Newspaper Articles

• Bunn, Matthew and Gary Samore. "Cancel the Plutonium Fuel Factory." The Hill. July 18, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew. "The Nuclear Security Summit: Wins, Losses, and Draws." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. April 8, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew, William Tobey, Martin Malin, and Nickolas Roth. "Will the Nuclear Security Summit Help Stop Terrorists from Getting the Bomb?" The National Interest. March 31, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Belgium Highlights the Nuclear Terrorism Threat and Security Measures to Stop It." The World Post. March 29, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew, Martin B. Malin, Nickolas Roth, and William Tobey. "Nuclear Security: Continuous Improvement or Dangerous Decline?" Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. March 27, 2016.
• Bunn, Matthew. "Making Life Harder for Iran's Bomb Advocates." National Interest. August 7, 2015.

Outside Professional Activities

Transparent Engagement

Harvard Kennedy School is proud of its energetic involvement in the world. To better understand how to solve public problems by improving policy and leadership, we engage directly with policymakers, public leaders, governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses whose activities affect those problems. However, we recognize that such engagement can raise questions about perceived and potential conflicts of interest, so we disclose publicly the key professional activities of our faculty outside the Kennedy School.

Outside Professional Activities For Matthew Bunn

Member, Committee on International Security and Arms Control, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine

Member, Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Energy

Member, Board of Directors, Arms Control Association

Member, Steering Committee, Fissile Material Working Group

Consultant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Advisor, MacArthur Foundation