Technology, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Research

From big data analysis, AI, and blockchain to STEM education and cyber security, the exploration of policies that affect innovation and emerging technology is a popular focus at the RAND School. Students frequently make substantive contributions through RAND research projects, experiential learning in the Tech + Narrative Lab, and their own dissertation research. The RAND School is also a founding partner in the Public Interest Technology University Network.

Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

Through project-based research and other OJT and experiential learning opportunities, students work with faculty mentors to obtain professional skills and tacit knowledge that courses alone cannot convey. Here are a few recent projects and their resulting research.

What Is Blocking U.S. Power Expansion for AI—and What Could Unlock It by 2030?
RAND School students Robin Wang and Hye Min Park worked alongside researchers to identify four major challenge clusters that could plausibly be addressed by 2030: permitting delays, interconnection bottlenecks, underutilized transmission, and limited incentives for supplemental generation.
Investigating the potential use of frontier AI models for offensive cyberattacks: A human uplift study
RAND researchers and Ph.D. student found that today’s most advanced AI tools can help less-skilled people get started and work faster on cyberattacks, but they do not yet reliably enable them to carry out full, sophisticated attacks.
How Does and Should Tort Liability Affect High-Consequence Life Sciences Research?
Life sciences research has vastly improved the human condition, but it could also cause grave harm, either by accident or deliberate misuse. Ph.D. student Elika Somani and RAND researchers considered the effects of using tort liability to incentivize scientists and research institutions to create a culture of safety in their laboratories.
Integrating Innovation into U.S. Department of War Requirements Reform
Ph.D. student Jim Mignano and RAND researchers explored how the U.S. Department of War can better connect its modernization efforts with real military needs by reforming its requirements system to turn fast-moving innovations into lasting, effective capabilities for warfighters.
Unlocking the Tax Code with RAND's Tax Code Analysis Tool
M.Phil student Minju Jo partnered with RAND researchers to create the Tax Code Analysis Tool (CAT). This tool helps researchers and policymakers better understand the intricacies of U.S. federal tax code, allowing users to represent the entire tax code as a graph and quickly explore complex relationships.
Evaluating Potential Artificial Intelligence Energy Capacity at Different Data Center Sites
RAND School alumni Austin Smidt and Robin Wang and Ph.D. student Hye Min Park examine potential energy capacity at various data center sites to meet the AI energy demand.

Explore RAND School student-authored research on Technology, Data Science, and AI

Jul 9, 2026

Do Robots Lure Us to War? The Impact of the Robotic Revolution on the Propensity for Armed Conflict

The author developed a framework to understand the decision space for the use of force in the presence of emerging technology and applied it to autonomous weapons systems.

Krystyna Marcinek
Oct 28, 2025

Tracking Multinational Corporate Climate Action from Space: A Measurement Framework for Evaluating Supply Chain Policies using Satellite Monitoring and Climate Disclosures

In this dissertation, the author analyzes how supply chain policies for climate change mitigation have manifested among multinational companies, how the policies’ effects have migrated across borders, and whether the policies are effective.

Karishma V. Patel
Aug 14, 2025

U.S. Space Policymaking in a New Era of Commercialization: From Launch to Lunar Operations

The author examines the role of commercial companies in the U.S. space industry and recommends oversight functions to monitor the safety, security, and economic stability of commercial services.

Therese Marie Jones
Jun 4, 2024

The Potential for Artificial Intelligence Assistance in Funding Research

Investigates the potential of Artificial Intelligence in transforming decision-making processes within funding agencies, which include governmental, quasi-governmental, and private organizations that finance research and innovation.

Hamad Al-Ibrahim
Apr 8, 2024

Identifying Communities of Interest Using Contact Graphs

Introduces a systematic method for identifying communities of interest using contact graphs and community detection algorithms and evaluates this method.

James Syme

View all RAND School dissertations

Technology, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Research

Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

What Is Blocking U.S. Power Expansion for AI—and What Could Unlock It by 2030?

Investigating the potential use of frontier AI models for offensive cyberattacks: A human uplift study

How Does and Should Tort Liability Affect High-Consequence Life Sciences Research?

Integrating Innovation into U.S. Department of War Requirements Reform

Unlocking the Tax Code with RAND's Tax Code Analysis Tool

Evaluating Potential Artificial Intelligence Energy Capacity at Different Data Center Sites

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Do Robots Lure Us to War? The Impact of the Robotic Revolution on the Propensity for Armed Conflict

Tracking Multinational Corporate Climate Action from Space: A Measurement Framework for Evaluating Supply Chain Policies using Satellite Monitoring and Climate Disclosures

U.S. Space Policymaking in a New Era of Commercialization: From Launch to Lunar Operations

The Potential for Artificial Intelligence Assistance in Funding Research

Identifying Communities of Interest Using Contact Graphs

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Technology, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Research

Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

What Is Blocking U.S. Power Expansion for AI—and What Could Unlock It by 2030?

Investigating the potential use of frontier AI models for offensive cyberattacks: A human uplift study

How Does and Should Tort Liability Affect High-Consequence Life Sciences Research?

Integrating Innovation into U.S. Department of War Requirements Reform

Unlocking the Tax Code with RAND's Tax Code Analysis Tool

Evaluating Potential Artificial Intelligence Energy Capacity at Different Data Center Sites

Related Dissertations

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Do Robots Lure Us to War? The Impact of the Robotic Revolution on the Propensity for Armed Conflict

Tracking Multinational Corporate Climate Action from Space: A Measurement Framework for Evaluating Supply Chain Policies using Satellite Monitoring and Climate Disclosures

U.S. Space Policymaking in a New Era of Commercialization: From Launch to Lunar Operations

The Potential for Artificial Intelligence Assistance in Funding Research

Identifying Communities of Interest Using Contact Graphs

Oops! An unexpected error has occurred.