The Polymath Initiative

What is the Polymath Initiative?

The Polymath Initiative is a project that was launched by the GCSP in May 2021. It seeks to address the “silo thinking” which can lead to policy and governance failures when anticipating the consequences of emerging technologies on societies. This initiative aims to reduce gaps in understanding and communication between the scientific community and the policymaking world. By promoting a “polymath thinking” approach, the GCSP hopes to create a community of scholars on emerging technologies that are conscious of the ethical, security and governance implications. To this effect, three professionals, each specialising in an emerging technology (artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and neuroscience) are offered a 2-year fellowship programme at the GCSP, thanks to the support of the Didier & Martine Primat Foundation. It is expected that the selected scholars will then become influencers in their own scientific communities and they will also be equipped to advocate for “polymath thinking” in the field of emerging technologies and be able to bridge the gap between the tech and science communities and the world of policy and decision-makers.

Why is the GCSP launching this initiative?

The Global and Emerging Risks cluster is deeply involved in understanding and raising awareness about the security and strategic implications of emerging technologies for international peace and security. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and neurotechnology, are increasingly having deep economic, ethical, social, political and security impacts. However, thinking about the societal implications of these technologies remains siloed. Too often do we see technology developments that are not concerned with policy, and policies that are out of touch with technology. Therefore, there is a need for “translators”, individuals able to talk to both the scientific and the policy communities and bridge this gap. Fostering “polymath thinking” is the key strategy this programme is adopting to overcome silo thinking and help deal with the ethical, security and governance challenges stemming from emerging technologies.

Launch webinar

Polymath Initiative – NATO PfPC panel on swarming and the future of warfare : feasibility, impacts, governance at the 2023 REAIM Conference

Polymath Initiative – NATO PfPC panel on Impacts of AI Technological Convergence on International Security at the 2024 REAIM Conference (read the summary report of the breakout session here)

The Fellowship Programme

The fellowship programme will last two years and will be conducted under the auspices of the Global and Emerging Risks cluster and the Global Fellowship Initiative (GFI). In their first year, the fellows will be given the opportunity to attend and contribute to GCSP workshops, events, courses in order to familiarise themselves with the issues related to global governance, ethics and international peace and security. In their second year, the fellows will then have the opportunity to contribute to GCSP publications on these topics, in addition. Throughout their fellowship, fellows will have access to the GCSP’s wide network of experts and alumni. Successful candidates should have deep technical expertise in synthetic biology, artificial intelligence or neuroscience and a desire to learn more about the governance and ethical and security implications of emerging technologies and the willingness to share their insights with non-specialists.

Support

The Polymath initiative is generously supported by the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation.

The Didier et Martine Primat Foundation is a Swiss-based registered charity. Its purpose is to raise public awareness of the global challenges caused by human activities and help to shape a more responsible world by supporting educational projects and concrete actions that encourage a more conscious and sustainable way of life.

Project Team

Dr Jean-Marc Rickli, Head of Polymath Initiative Dr Jean-Marc Rickli is the Head of Global and Emerging Risks and the Founder and Head of the Polymath Initiative at the GCSP. He is also the co-chair of the NATO Partnership for Peace Consortium (PfPC) Emerging Security Challenges Working Group and a senior advisor for the Artificial Intelligence Initiative at the Future Society. He is the co-curator of the International Security Map of the Strategic Intelligence Platform of the World Economic Forum. He is also a member of the Geneva University Committee for Ethical Research and of the advisory board of Tech4Trust, the first Swiss startup acceleration program in the field of digital trust and cybersecurity. Prior to these appointments, Dr Rickli was an assistant professor at the Department of Defence Studies of King’s College London and at the Institute for International and Civil Security at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. In 2020, he was nominated as one of the 100 most influential French-speaking Swiss by the Swiss newspaper Le Temps. Dr Rickli received his PhD in International Relations from Oxford University. His latest book published by Georgetown University is entitled Surrogate Warfare: The Transformation of War in the Twenty-first Century. Read the full bio here

Ms Anne Caroline Pissis-Martel, Head of Global Fellowship Initiative and Creative Spark Anne-Caroline Pissis-Martel is the Director of Global Fellowship Initiative and Creative Spark. Anne-Caroline joined the GCSP in September 2003 and has held different positions throughout this time. She spent a number of years working with the Director of Special Programmes on diplomatic activities and training courses abroad. She then worked with the External Relations Team and, as its Manager, was in charge of the Centre’s external communications - GCSP website, media relations and publications. She later joined the Emerging Security Challenges Programme as a Senior Programme Officer responsible for the Security and Law activities of the Centre. Since 2015, Anne-Caroline coordinates the GCSP Global Fellowship Initiative and currently also heads the development of the Creative Spark. She holds a Master’s Degree (LL.M.) in International Humanitarian Law, jointly awarded by the Law Faculty of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI). She studied Law at Pierre Mendes France, University of Grenoble (France), and after her Maîtrise with specialisation in European Law, she obtained a Diploma from their European Summer Academy on "Europe in Transition". Prior to her employment at the GCSP, she worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Athens (Greece), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) in Geneva. Anne-Caroline speaks English, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian and German. Read the full bio here

Mr Tobias Knappe, Project and Research Officer Tobias Knappe is a Project and Research Officer and the coordinator of the Polymath Initiative at the GCSP. His research focuses on emerging issues in international security and anticipatory governance, with a particular emphasis on how new technologies and technological advancements are reshaping the global security landscape. Previously, Tobias assisted in organising executive education activities and supported GCSP’s work on strategic anticipation. Notably, he served as the coordinator of a research project on strategic foresight in ministries of foreign affairs. Before joining GCSP, Tobias gained experience working for governmental and international institutions, including the chairman of a parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, the European parliament and the International Organization for Migration’s regional office in Vienna. He holds dual master’s degrees in Global Affairs and International Affairs from a joint programme between the University of Toronto and the Hertie School, as well as a bachelor’s in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin.

Fellows Dr Barry O’Sullivan – Artificial Intelligence Fellow – Full Professor, School of Computer Science & IT at University College Cork Professor O’Sullivan is a full professor at the School of Computer Science & IT at University College Cork. He is founding Director of the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at UCC and Director of the SFI Centre for Research Training in AI. He works in the fields of artificial intelligence, constraint programming, operations research, AI/data ethics, and public policy. He contributes to several global Track II diplomacy efforts at the interface of geopolitics and artificial intelligence. Professor O'Sullivan is a Fellow and a past President of the European AI Association (EurAI). He is also a Fellow and served as a member of the Executive Council of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Professor O'Sullivan has served as Vice Chair of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI.  He currently represents the EU at GPAI - the Global Partnership on AI. Professor O’Sullivan holds several ministerial appointments, such as Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee for Medical Devices and member of Ireland's AI Advisory Council. His awards include Science Foundation Ireland Researcher of the Year (2016), Member of the Royal Irish Academy (2017), IPEC-EATCS Nerode Prize (2020), Science Foundation Ireland Best International Engagement Award (2021), European AI Association’s Distinguished Service Award (2023).   Dr Kate Adamala – Synthetic Biology Fellow – Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Kate Adamala is McKnight Land Grant Assistant Professor at University of Minnesota. Her research aims at understanding chemical principles of biology, using artificial cells to create new tools for bioengineering, drug development, and foundational research. Her research interests span questions from the origin and earliest evolution of life, using synthetic biology to colonize space, to the future of biotechnology and medicine.  Lab info: www.protobiology.org. Kate is a co-founder and coordinator of the Build-a-Cell, the international synthetic cell engineering community.  Kate has worked on biosafety and biosecurity implications of emerging synthetic biology technologies, including horizon scanning and safeguard analysis. Her work particularly focuses on synthetic cell engineering and genetic code reprogramming, investigating implications of reprogramming living organisms beyond the bounds of the natural biology.     Dr Renaud Jolivet – Neurotechnology Fellow – Professor of Neural Engineering & Computation at the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology at Maastricht University Prof. Renaud B. Jolivet is Professor of Neural Engineering & Computation at the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology at Maastricht University, and retains a courtesy appointment at CERN, the particle physics laboratory.  His work focusses on NeuroAI and on neurotechnologies to interface with brain tissue.  Prior to working in the Netherlands, Renaud has worked in Switzerland, Japan and the UK.  He has previously served on the boards of the Initiative for Science in Europe, Marie Curie Alumni Association and Organization for Computational Neuroscience, and was a 2023 Neurotech Fellow of the Foresight Institute. He currently is the stakeholder representative for individual researchers and innovators at the European Commission’s ERA Forum, and the Chair of the Science & Technology Committee of EBRAINS, the European research infrastructure for neurosciences. He is a recipient of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Career Award (2022), and of the André Mischke Young Academy of Europe Prize for Science and Policy 2023, and a Fellow of the International Science Council.

2021-2023 Fellows

Dr Kevin Esvelt – Synthetic Biology Fellow – Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. 

Dr Sandra Scott Hayward – Artificial Intelligence Fellow – Senior Lecturer, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast.

Dr Ricardo Chavarriaga – Neurotechnology fellow – Head of the Swiss office of the Confederation of Laboratories for AI Research in Europe, Senior Researcher at Zürich University of Applied Sciences.

Partners

Publications

• Rickli, Jean-Marc. “Dealing with the New WMDs – Weapons of Mass Disinformation”. Geneva Policy Outlook, 20 January 2025. https://www.genevapolicyoutlook.ch/dealing-with-the-new-wmds-weapons-of-mass-disinformation/
• Rickli, Jean-Marc and Vllasi, Gëzim. “The Weaponization of Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Global Risk: A Perspective from the PfPC Emerging Security Challenges Working Group”. Connections: The Quarterly Journal, Volume 24, No. 1, January 2025. https://procon.bg/article/weaponization-emerging-technologies-and-their-impact-global-risk-perspective-pfpc-emerging
• Jolivet, Renaud B. “Lessons from a First Decade in European Science Policy”. European Review, 02 December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1062798724000279
• Rickli, Jean-Marc. “How to Think About War in the 21st Century”. Le Temps, 07 August 2024. https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/debats/comment-penser-la-guerre-au-xxie-siecle?
• Rickli, Jean-Marc, Mantellassi, Federico.  “The War in Ukraine: Reality Check for Emerging Technologies and the Future of Warfare.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Geneva Paper: Issue 34. April 2024. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/war-ukraine-reality-check-emerging-technologies-and-future-warfare
• Scott-Hayward, Sandra. “Critical International Infrastructure: A Case for Secure, Sustainable Non-Terrestrial Networking.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Strategic Security Analysis: Issue 35. January 2024. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/critical-international-infrastructure-case-secure-sustainable-non-terrestrial
• Esvelt, Kevin M. et al. “Securing Civilization against Catastrophic Pandemics.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Geneva Paper. Issue 31. 25 October 2023. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/securing-civilisation-against-catastrophic-pandemics
• Rickli, Jean-Marc, Mantellassi, Federico and Glasser, Gwyn. "Peace of Mind: Cognitive Warfare and the Governance of Subversion in the 21st Century" Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Policy Brief No. 9. August 2023. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/peace-mind-cognitive-warfare-and-governance-subversion-21st-century
• Chavarriaga, Ricardo, Rickli, Jean-Marc and Mantellassi, Federico “Neurotechnologies: The New Frontier for International Governance” Geneva Centre for Security Policy’s Strategic Security Analysis, no. 29, April 2023. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/neurotechnologies-new-frontier-international-governance
• Mantellassi, Federico. “Digital Authoritarianism: How Digital Technologies Can Empower Authoritarianism and Weaken Democracy.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy, In Focus. 16 February, 2023. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/digital-authoritarianism-how-digital-technologies-can-empower-authoritarianism-and
• Esvelt, Kevin M. “Delay, Detect, Defend: Preparing for a Future in which Thousands Can Release New Pandemics.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Geneva Paper: Issue 29. November 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/delay-detect-defend-preparing-future-which-thousands-can-release-new-pandemics
• Julliard, Valentin, Federico Mantellassi and Jean-Marc Rickli « Implications for the Future of Warfare » in The Russia-Ukraine War’s Implications for Global Security: A First Multi-issue Analysis. Ed. Thomas Greminger and Tobias Vestner, 24 August 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/russia-ukraine-wars-implications-global-security
• Scott-Hayward, Sandra. “Securing AI-Based Security Systems.” Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Strategic Security Analysis: Issue 25. June 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/securing-ai-based-security-systems
• Mantellassi, Federico. "In Focus: The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence" Geneva Centre for Security Policy, 4 April 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/global-insights/focus-challenges-artificial-intelligence
• Mantellassi, Federico "In Focus: The Challenges of Neurotechnology" Geneva Centre for Security Policy, 11 April 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/global-insights/focus-challenges-neurotechnology
• Mantellassi, Federico "In Focus: The Challenges of Synthetic Biology" Geneva Centre for Security Policy, 18 April 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/global-insights/focus-challenges-synthetic-biology
• Mantellassi, Federico and Rickli, Jean-Marc. "Our Digital Future: The Security Implications of Metaverses" Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Strategic Security Analysis: Issue 24. 25 March, 2022. https://www.gcsp.ch/publications/our-digital-future-security-implications-metaverses
• Damian Eke, Amy Bernard, Jan G. Bjaalie, Ricardo Chavarriaga, Takashi Hanakawa, Anthony Hannan, Sean Hill, et al. 2021. “International Data Governance for Neuroscience.” PsyArXiv. June 1. doi:10.31234/osf.io/esz9b.
• Ienca et al., 2021. "Towards a Governance Framework for Brain Data".  arXiv:2109.11960. https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.11960
• Rickli, Jean-Marc and Ienca, Marcello. “The Security and Military Implications of Neurotechnology and Artificial Intelligence” in Friedrich and al. (eds). Clinical Neurotechnology meets Artificial Intelligence, (2021), Berlin: Springer, p. 197-214, https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030645892#aboutBook
• Rickli, Jean-Marc. “Surrogate Warfare and The Transformation of War in the 2020s,” Observer Research Foundation, 30 December 2020, https://www.gcsp.ch/global-insights/surrogate-warfare-and-transformation-war-2020s
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “Neurotechnologies and Future Warfares,” RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, 7 December 2020, https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/ai-governance-and-military-affairs-neurotechnologies-and-future-warfare/#.YAp-Oi2ZPEZ
• Rickli, Jean-Marc. “The Strategic Implications of Artificial Intelligence,” in Al Naqvi and J. Munoz, Mark (ed.). Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation: Policy and Government Applications, (2020). London: Anthem Press, chapter 5, https://anthempress.com/handbook-of-artificial-intelligence-and-robotic-process-automation-hb
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “Containing Emerging Technologies' Impact on International Security,” Stockholm Free World Forum, Jan (2020), https://frivarld.se/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/rickli.pdf
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “Applying Resilience to Hybrid Threats”, with Linkov A. and al., IEEE Security and Privacy, Sept-Oct (2019), https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8821471
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “The Destabilizing Prospects of Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Strategy, Deterrence and Stability,” in Boulanin, Vincent (ed.) (2019). The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Risk: European Perpectives. Stockholm: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Volume I, pp. 91-98, https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2019-05/sipri1905-ai-strategic-stability-nuclear-risk.pdf
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “Education Key to Managing Risk of Emerging Technology”, European CEO, 6 March 2019, https://www.europeanceo.com/industry-outlook/education-key-to-managing-the-threats-posed-by-new-technology/
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . "The Economic, Security, and Military Implications of Artificial Intelligence for the Gulf Arab Countries", EDA Insights, Emirates Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi, November (2018), http://eda.ac.ae/docs/default-source/Publications/eda-insight_ai_en.pdf
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “International Governance and The Malicious Uses of Artificial Intelligence”, Swissfuture Review, Summer (2018), https://www.gcsp.ch/News-Knowledge/Global-insight/Malicious-Uses-of-Artificial-Intelligence-Is-it-Time-for-international-Governance
• Rickli, Jean-Marc . “The Impact of Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence on Strategic Stability”, UN Special, July-August (2018), pp. 32-33, https://www.unspecial.org/2018/07/the-impact-of-autonomy-and-artificial-intelligence-on-strategic-stability/

To learn more about the GCSP’s Global Fellowship Initiative click here

To learn more about the Global and Emerging Risks cluster click here