The East-West Center in Washington invites you to the
Indo-Pacific Virtual Seminar Series:

Protecting National Security at US Universities
While Maintaining International Collaboration

Featuring:

Ms. Kimberly Gianopoulos
Director, International Trade Issues,
International Affairs and Trade Team,
US Government Accountability Office

Mr. Drew Lindsey (Discussant)
Assistant Director,
International Affairs and Trade Team,
US Government Accountability Office

Ms. Amanda Bartine (Discussant)
Senior Analyst,
International Affairs and Trade Team,
US Government Accountability Office

Ms. Taylor Bright (Discussant)
Analyst,
International Affairs and Trade Team,
US Government Accountability Office

Dr. Seong-hyon Lee (Discussant)
Director, Center for Chinese Studies,
Sejong Institute, South Korea

Dr.  Satu P. Limaye (Moderator)
Vice President, East-West Center &
Director, East-West Center in Washington

East-West Center in Washington · Protecting National Security at U.S. Universities While Maintaining International Collaboration

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report “Export Controls: State and Commerce Should Improve Guidance and Outreach to Address University-Specific Compliance Issues” on May 12, 2020, in response to concerns about foreign persons’ access to and illicit appropriation of sensitive information and technology at US universities.

Research conducted at US universities contributes significantly to US national security and economic interests. Foreign students and scholars have made substantial contributions to such research efforts and are involved in developing many of the nation’s leading-edge civilian and defense-related technologies. The Indo-Pacific region is one of the most important sources of international students and scholars in US universities. However, there is a risk that some foreign students and scholars will transfer or “export” sensitive information they gain through their research in the United States back to their home countries, which may be hostile to US interests.

To identify and review the safeguards that US universities have in place to protect sensitive research from unauthorized foreign access, GAO visited nine universities with varying levels of research funding. GAO found that seven of the nine universities had export compliance policies and practices that generally aligned with US federal export compliance guidelines. However, GAO identified gaps in some universities’ practices. Although US federal agencies provide export compliance guidelines, university officials told GAO that this guidance does not adequately address university-specific issues. Improved guidance, based on feedback from university stakeholders, could further strengthen universities’ efforts to safeguard sensitive and export-controlled items.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Kimberly Gianopoulos is the Director for international trade issues in the International Affairs and Trade (IAT) team at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), a role she has held since 2013. Her portfolio includes a wide variety of trade-related issues, including intellectual property rights, sanctions, export controls, and government procurement. She has also provided leadership on a number of other efforts, including GAO’s High-Risk series and a body of work on commercial nuclear power. Ms. Gianopoulos earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Public Analysis and Administration from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She is a Certified Government Financial Manager and a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration.

Drew Lindsey is an Assistant Director in the International Affairs and Trade (IAT) team at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). His portfolio of work has covered a range of issues, including economic sanctions, export controls, foreign assistance, and arms transfers. Mr. Lindsey holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy with focus on International Security from Harvard’s Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Davidson College.

Amanda Bartine is a Senior Analyst in the International Affairs and Trade (IAT) team at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and leads reviews of federal programs in the areas of national security and foreign policy. Her work focuses on the intersection of international affairs and domestic policy on topics such as conflict minerals, the safety and security of US diplomats and their families overseas, US efforts to address Russian disinformation overseas, and export controls. Ms. Bartine has a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School and a bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University.

Taylor Bright is an Analyst in the International Affairs and Trade (IAT) team at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and has participated in performance audits of federal programs in the areas of national security and foreign policy. Her work has included topics such as DOD recruitment, retention, and compensation of military doctors and dentists, Department of Homeland Security air and marine operations, and export controls. Ms. Bright has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, focusing her graduate work on international politics with a regional focus of China and Southeast Asia.

Seong-hyon Lee, Ph.D. based in Seoul, South Korea, is Director of Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute, the nation's top independent think tank for national security and diplomacy. Formerly he was Director of the Department of Unification Studies that deals with North Korean affairs. He lived in Beijing for 11 years and speaks fluent Chinese. He gave lectures and talks at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, US Indo-Pacific Command and Hudson Institute. He is a non-resident ICAS Fellow in Washington D.C. His research portfolio includes China-DPRK relations, China-US relations and China-South Korea relations, as well as East Asian geopolitics. He is a graduate from Grinnell College, Harvard University, and Tsinghua University (Ph.D. in international communication). He was invited to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Boao Forum in China, Salzburg Seminar in Austria. In 2020, he gave a JTBC television's Distinguished Lecture (JTBC 차이나는 클라스) on the topic of the US-China relations.

Satu Limaye is Vice President of the East-West Center and the Director of the East-West Center in Washington where he created and now directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and is the founding editor of the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also a Senior Advisor at CNA Corp (Center for Naval Analyses) and Senior Fellow on Asia History and Policy at the Foreign Policy Institute at Paul H. Nitze School of International Studies (SAIS). He is magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar. Recent publications include: “America’s ‘Pacific Principle’ in an Indivisible Pacific Islands Region,” (Asia-Pacific Bulletin); “Despite Stumbles, America’s Engagement with Southeast Runs Deep,” (Global Asia); Raging Waters: China, India, Bangladesh, and Brahmaputra Water Politics (Marine Corps University Press); and Russia’s Peripheral Relevance to US-Indo Pacific Relations (Center for the National Interest).