Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

What Berkeley Risk and Security Lab does

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab (BRSL) is a university research lab established in 2022 at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. The lab conducts interdisciplinary research and policy analysis at the intersection of emerging technology and national security, with focus areas spanning nuclear weapons policy, hypersonic weapons, AI governance, cybersecurity, wargaming, and commercial spyware. It serves government officials, policymakers, national laboratory researchers, and academic communities through research translation, educational programming, and direct policy engagement rather than commercial sales.

BRSL's core technology portfolio includes the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator, a web application that enables accessible modeling of hypersonic missile flight in realistic scenarios and is built on computational models developed in collaboration with MIT; the SIGNAL experimental wargaming platform, which combines wargaming with survey experiments to quantify the effects of tailored nuclear capabilities on nuclear threshold behaviors; and the AI Red Teaming (AIRT) Bootcamp, a professional training program covering AI safety and red teaming across nuclear, biological, cyber, and disinformation domains. The lab also operates the Carnegie Nuclear Security Initiative (CNSI), the AIxNuclear Research Fellowship (co-run with the Council on Strategic Risks), the Next Frontier Seminar multi-university fellowship, and the UC Berkeley Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy, alongside media properties including the Risk Calculus and BRSL Weekly Brief podcasts and the Brisk Assessment short-form publication series.

The lab operates as a non-commercial research organization funded primarily through philanthropic grants and institutional support rather than product or service revenue. Documented funding includes a $500,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York for CNSI and additional support from Future of Life Institute and Longview Philanthropy. BRSL disseminates its research through open-access peer-reviewed publications (Science, Journal of Peace Research, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Texas National Security Review), podcasts, public events, webinars, and freely accessible online tools, with a community-led go-to-market targeting policymakers, academic researchers, and emerging technology professionals.

Name

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

Legal name

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

Website

https://brsl.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab is a UC Berkeley research lab conducting policy analysis at the intersection of emerging technology and security — including hypersonic weapons, nuclear deterrence, AI governance, and cybersecurity — serving government agencies, national laboratories, and academic communities through research, fellowships, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Security Policy Research

NAICS

National Security (928110), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

IT Risk Management (ITRM) (HDADAIAD)

Keywords

• Security policy research
• Nuclear security governance
• Wargaming methodology
• AI safety training
• Technology risk analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary funding from philanthropic foundations including Carnegie Corporation of New York ($500,000 grant for Carnegie Nuclear Security Initiative) and Future of Life Institute. Grants support specific research initiatives and educational programs.
2. Philanthropic Support: Support from organizations like Longview Philanthropy for fellowship programs such as the AIxNuclear Research Fellowship. Provides funding for developing expert talent at intersection of AI and nuclear governance.
3. Institutional Support: Housed within UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy, receiving institutional support as a university research lab. Faculty and staff positions funded through university budget and research grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BRSL conducts academic research and policy analysis at the intersection of technology and security, including nuclear weapons policy, AI governance, cybersecurity, and hypersonic weapons. It produces open-source analytical tools such as the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator and SIGNAL wargaming platform, and operates educational and fellowship programs (Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy, AI Red Teaming Bootcamp, Next Frontier Seminar, AIxNuclear Fellowship, Carnegie Nuclear Security Initiative) for students, professionals, and policymakers.

Product overview

Berkeley Risk and Security Lab (BRSL) is a research organization at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy that offers a portfolio of research tools, educational programs, and publications focused on technology and security. The core product is the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator, a web application for modeling hypersonic missile flight. BRSL also operates educational programs including the AI Red Teaming Bootcamp, Next Frontier Seminar fellowship, Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy, and AIxNuclear Research Fellowship. The SIGNAL wargaming platform and Brisk Assessment publications support policy research. Media offerings include the Risk Calculus and BRSL Weekly Brief podcasts. Major initiatives include the Carnegie Nuclear Security Initiative and Future of Life Institute AI research project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator A web application that enables rapid, accessible modeling of hypersonic missile flight in realistic scenarios, allowing analysts, researchers, and policymakers to assess hypersonic weapons performance limitations and global security implications without specialized technical training.
• AI Red Teaming Bootcamp (AIRT) An intensive training program that brings together professionals from nuclear engineering, chemistry, biology, radiological threats, cybersecurity, machine learning, and disinformation studies to explore AI safety and red teaming methodologies with hands-on exercises spanning biosecurity, deepfakes, disinformation, and AI governance.
• Next Frontier Seminar (NFS) An intensive year-long fellowship program for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students from multiple universities, focused on emerging technology and international affairs, operating under a multi-university governance structure and identifying cultivating student talent at the intersection of technology and security.
• Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy (GCTP) A certificate program at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy administered by BRSL that introduces graduate students to interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging technology and public policy issues.
• SIGNAL Wargaming Platform An experimental wargaming platform developed by BRSL faculty (Andrew Reddie and Bethany Goldblum) that combines wargaming with survey experiments for social science research, designed to quantify the effect of tailored nuclear capabilities on the nuclear threshold in simulated environments.
• Carnegie Nuclear Security Initiative (CNSI) A major research program at BRSL focused on the future of nuclear policy, security, and governance, addressing nuclear modernization, frontier technologies and strategic stability, arms control governance, political economy of nuclear technology, and proliferation pathways.
• AIxNuclear Research Fellowship A fellowship co-developed with the Council on Strategic Risks to develop a pipeline of experts fluent in both nuclear and AI governance and security issues, offering 10 months of mentored research, networking, and professional development across nuclear and AI policy domains.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 professionals trained in AI red teaming from over 120 applicants in inaugural 2025 bootcamp
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Council on Strategic RiskscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026BRSL and CSR jointly launched AIxNuclear Research Fellowship to develop pipeline of experts fluent in both nuclear and AI governance and security issues. Seven fellows selected for inaugural cohort with support from Longview Philanthropy.
• Next Frontier SeminarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Next Frontier Seminar (NFS) joined BRSL as a program within the lab, establishing Berkeley as NFS's institutional home. Daniel Kroth serves as Program Director. NFS is an intensive year-long fellowship for outstanding students from multiple universities.
• Future of Life InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2025Multi-phase research project mapping trajectories of U.S. and Chinese AI development, reviewing approaches to undermining each other's development, and assessing escalation risks. Includes tabletop exercises and four workshops with stakeholders.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT researchers (Dr. David Wright) collaborated with BRSL on Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator development. MIT's Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy contributed computational models for hypersonic missile flight analysis.
• Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIxNuclear fellowship includes field trip to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Advisory board includes Brad Roberts, Director of Center for Global Security Research at LLNL.
• Swissnex in San FranciscominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwissnex hosted BRSL's RSA side event on Governing the Cyber-AI Nexus in April 2023.
• Geneva-based Simon InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI governance roundtable with Simon Institute from Geneva as part of AIxNuclear fellowship programming.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Federation of American Scientists (FAS): FAS is a nonpartisan policy organization that provides technical analysis on nuclear security, biosecurity, and emerging technology. Cameron Tracy previously worked at the Union of Concerned Scientists (a related organization). FAS's Strategic Security Program and BRSL share the niche of rigorous technical-to-policy translation on nuclear and security issues.
• Council on Strategic Risks (CSR): CSR is a non-profit focused on strategic risks including nuclear and AI threats. BRSL and CSR jointly launched the AIxNuclear Research Fellowship in 2026, indicating deep programmatic overlap. Both organizations develop expert pipelines and policy outputs at the intersection of nuclear and emerging technology risks.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Carnegie Endowment is a leading global think tank with deep nuclear policy programs; BRSL's CNSI program is funded by Carnegie's affiliated foundation. Lindsay Rand was a Stanton Predoctoral Fellow at Carnegie. Both organizations produce research on nuclear deterrence, arms control, and emerging technology governance for policy audiences.
• Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The Bulletin is a nontechnical, public-facing publication focused on nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technology. BRSL researchers publish in the Bulletin, and both organizations share an editorial and policy mission around communicating nuclear and emerging technology risks to broad audiences.
• Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC): Stanford CISAC is a premier university-affiliated research center conducting interdisciplinary work on nuclear security, emerging technology, and international security policy. Multiple BRSL senior scholars (Cameron Tracy, Lindsay Rand, Daniil Zhukov) trained at or came from CISAC, and both institutions pursue overlapping nuclear and emerging-technology policy research.
• Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: Harvard Belfer Center is a university-based research center focused on science and international security policy, including nuclear, AI, and emerging technology issues. BRSL Senior Research Scholar Cameron Tracy previously worked at the Belfer Center. Both institutions combine technical analysis with policy translation in overlapping topic areas.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Global Security Research: CGSR is a national laboratory research center conducting policy-relevant work on nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and emerging technology. BRSL Advisory Board includes CGSR Director Brad Roberts, and the AIxNuclear fellowship includes LLNL field trips. Both organizations bridge national lab technical depth with policy engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Council: Atlantic Council is a major international affairs think tank with programs on nuclear policy, AI, and emerging technology. Both organizations engage internationally (BRSL with UN/NATO/Simon Institute; Atlantic Council broadly) and produce policy outputs on nuclear modernization and strategic stability.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large, established policy research organization with deep defense, nuclear, AI, and wargaming portfolios. Andrew Reddie has worked at Sandia and LLNL, institutions adjacent to RAND's defense research ecosystem. RAND is a much larger incumbent offering broader commercial and government research services than BRSL.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): CSIS is a major bipartisan think tank covering defense, security, and emerging technology policy with substantial government and media reach. BRSL and CSIS both produce policy analysis and events on nuclear, AI, and emerging technology. CSIS operates at substantially larger scale and serves as a comparator for BRSL's ambitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BerkeleyRisk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BerkeleyRiskandSecurityLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berkeley-risk-and-security-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Berkeley Risk and Security Lab