Spencer Michaels

Spencer Michaels is a Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Intern for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

He graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a double major in Russian and LJST (Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought). His undergraduate research included Russian geopolitics, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and contemporary warfare. His senior thesis examined AI regulation through the lens of Thomas Hobbes’ political philosophy, and he speaks Russian fluently.

Previously, Michaels worked as a Program Associate at HFX, helping organize the 2024 Halifax International Security Forum. He also interned with the Hudson Institute’s Hamilton Commission on Securing America’s National Security Innovation Base and The Moscow Times. While studying, he served on the board of the AI in the Liberal Arts initiative, and conducted research for the Amherst Center for Russian Culture and the IR Lab.