Dr. Yelena Biberman-Ocakli, Associate Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College, will join the Bioethics Education International (BEI) Online Winter School titled “Bioethics in the New World Order” as a featured speaker.
BIOTECHNOLOGY, RIVALRY AND RESPONSIBILITY
ABSTRACT
Biotechnology promises to improve human health, yet the same capabilities can become instruments of coercion and conflict. Drawing on my forthcoming book, Genetic Superpower: International Rivalry in the Age of Weaponizable Biotechnology (Oxford University Press), this talk examines how international competition, particularly between the United States and China, shapes biotechnology and its governance. It explores the ethical responsibilities of scientists and governments, the tensions between scientific openness and global security, and the possibilities for international cooperation to ensure that the power to alter life serves the public good.
BIO
Yelena Biberman is Associate Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College, Fellow of the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation, and Affiliate of Harvard University’s Davis Center. Her research focuses on international security, irregular warfare, and emerging technologies. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from Brown University, an M.A. in Regional Studies from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Wellesley College. A former Fellow at West Point’s Modern War Institute and the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, she is a recipient of Fulbright and Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States Wilson China Fellowships. Her work has been published in leading academic and policy outlets. Her new book, Genetic Superpower: International Rivalry in the Age of Weaponizable Biotechnology, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press in January 2027.
