Alyssa I. Agard
Research & Leadership
I am the founder, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Agard Research Associates Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research institute dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of behavioral science, historical analysis, and public policy. I built ARA from the ground up, from federal tax-exempt status and state compliance to IT infrastructure, editorial operations, and a growing team of research interns and volunteers. The organization exists because I believe rigorous scholarship should not be gated behind institutional access or professional pedigree. It should reach the people whose lives are shaped by the decisions it informs.My executive leadership spans research development, governance, financial systems, and external partnerships. I direct interdisciplinary initiatives that translate complex scholarship into actionable insights for educators, administrators, policymakers, and the public. Through ARA, I have also facilitated professional development programming for small businesses and private schools across New Jersey, addressing cultural competence, social-emotional learning, and regulatory compliance in areas including FERPA, HIPAA, OSHA, and EEOC frameworks.
Academic Foundation
I am currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, with a concentration in Political Processes and Institutions and a research focus in foreign affairs and defense policy. My graduate work examines how governance structures, institutional behavior, and technological change shape policy outcomes, strategic stability, and public trust.I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgian Court University, where I graduated magna cum laude and served as Chapter President of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. My undergraduate research spanned the California Gold Rush, Gilded Age entrepreneurship, and U.S. military conflicts across the World Wars and Cold War era. I also hold an Associate in Arts in Political Science and Humanities from Brookdale Community College.My long-term academic trajectory is a joint PhD and JD: doctoral studies in International Affairs with a specialization in war and strategic studies, and a Juris Doctor concentrating in international law.
Research Agenda & Current Work
My research sits at the convergence of defense strategy, emerging technology, and deterrence theory. I am particularly interested in how institutional decision-making, technological entanglement, and doctrinal assumptions interact to shape strategic stability in contested domains.My first major article, "The Intelligentized Security Dilemma: Systems Destruction Warfare, Technological Entanglement, and the Erosion of Strategic Stability," examines how AI-integrated military systems and cross-domain dependencies alter the calculus of escalation and stability. A second article, currently in development, addresses Joint All-Domain Operations and space-nuclear entanglement, proposing a Space-Nuclear Integration Cell as a policy mechanism to manage the escalatory risks introduced by converging operational domains.Looking ahead, I am developing a research agenda around fallout mitigation capabilities as a variable in deterrence theory and strategic stability. This project bridges technical remediation science with escalation calculus, civil defense gaps in deterrence scholarship, and doctrinal analysis of nuclear states' force employment planning. It is a thread I have not seen adequately pulled in the existing literature, and I intend to pull it.I also maintain an applied quantitative portfolio using Python, R, SPSS, SQL, ArcGIS, and C++ to produce data-driven research outputs. Ongoing projects include conflict event analysis using ACLED data and arms transfer pipeline modeling with SIPRI datasets.
Professional Experience
My professional background includes work in behavioral health and special education, where I supported individuals with developmental and learning differences. These experiences were formative. They grounded my policy orientation in lived experience rather than abstraction and reinforced my commitment to institutional accountability. Policy that does not account for the people it governs is not policy worth writing.
Beyond the Work
I am, at my core, a historian. My intellectual life extends well beyond the policy and defense work that occupies most of my professional attention. I have a deep and enduring interest in military history across centuries and civilizations, from the Mongol Empire and Asian statecraft to Norse and Viking traditions to the full arc of American conflict from the Revolution through the Cold War. I am drawn to anthropology and archaeology for the same reason I am drawn to history: they reveal what people chose to do and, more importantly, why.I am a self-taught composer of classical music and have been reading and writing music since I was twelve. I love classic literature. I am independently studying Russian, Mongolian, and Mandarin to access primary sources in their original languages.There is more to know, if you are inclined. A separate page, linked below, offers a quieter look at the thinking behind the work: philosophical reflections, creative writing, compositions, and photography. Consider it an invitation, not a brochure.