Bielefeld joined the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as a Research Fellow in 2006. Previously, he held research positions at the Bremen State Radioactivity Measurements Laboratory and at Hamburg University's Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. He was also the co-founder and Deputy Director of the Bremen Institute for Technology and Society as well as a Research Affiliate with the Science, Technology, and Global Security Working Group at MIT.

Bielefeld holds a Master of Science degree in theoretical particle physics from the University of Wales Swansea. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in physics with the University of Bremen on "Studies in Nuclear Security: Preventing and Preparing for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism."

Research Interests                                     

• Nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism.
  Nuclear and radiological terrorism threat assessments; NR attack prevention and preparedness;
  security of radioactive sources; security of fuel cycle facilities;
  nuclear forensics and attribution; nuclear materials trafficking;
  homeland security; organizational and operational characteristics of terrorist groups.
  
  
• Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
  Strategies for the prevention and reversal of nuclear proliferation;
  clandestine nuclear trade; security aspects in nuclear energy policy; nuclear safeguards;
  technology and policy of missile defense systems; missile proliferation.

• Emerging defense technologies and the future of arms control.
  
  

Professional Experience and Education

• Research Fellow/Associate with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School (2006 -present). 

• Doctoral candidate in the Physics Department at the Bremen University (completion expected in 2011):
  "Studies in Nuclear Security - Preventing and Preparing for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism".

• Research Affiliate with the Science, Technology, and Global Security Working Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2006-2010).

• Co-founder and Deputy Director of the Bremen Institute for Technology and Society (BITG), a private research and consulting institute registered in 2004 (at present, the institute's work is suspended).

• Research Associate with the Bremen State Radioacivity Measurements Laboratory/Institute for Environmental Physics at Bremen University (2001-2006): nuclear emergency response, radiological terrorism, nuclear forensics.

• Research Associate with the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at Hamburg University (2000-01): technical and policy analysis on missile defense systems and WMD proliferation.

• Physics studies at the Universities of Bremen and Wales;
  M. Sc. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Wales Swansea (1998).

Selected Publications and Studies

• Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Tom Bielefeld, A Call for German Leadership in Combating Nuclear Terrorism. OpEd, 13 April 2010 (both the English language version and a German translation Appell für eine aktivere deutsche Rolle bei der Bekämpfung des Nuklearterrorismus are available here).

• Helmut W. Fischer, Tom Bielefeld, Bernd Hettwig, Krypton Gas Cylinders as a Source of Radiation. Health Physics 99, 1 (2010) 58-65.

• Helmut W. Fischer, Tom Bielefeld, Bernd Hettwig, 85Kr in Industrial Krypton Gas: Origin, Identification and Dosimetry. Proc. of the Third European IRPA Congress 2010. (link)

• Tom Bielefeld, Helmut W. Fischer, The Security of Medical and Industrial Radioactive Sources. Proc. of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Annual Meeting 2008.

• Matthew Bunn, Tom Bielefeld, Reducing Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism Threats. Proc. of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Annual Meeting 2007. (link)

• Tom Bielefeld, Hassan Abbas, The Khan Job. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist 63, 4 (July/August 2007) 72-73. (link)

• Tom Bielefeld, H. W. Fischer, Security and Damage Potential of Commercial Radioactive Sources. Journal of Nuclear Materials Management 35, 2 (2007) 14-17.

• Tom Bielefeld, H. W. Fischer, Medizinische und industrielle Strahlenquellen als radiologische Waffen (Medical and Industrial Radiation Sources As Radiological Weapons). Strahlenschutzpraxis, 3 (August 2006) 53-57.

• Tom Bielefeld, Christian Eurich, Science Roadmapping für Rüstungstechnologie-Folgenabschätzung und präventive Rüstungslontrolle (Science Roadmapping for Defense Technology Assessment and Preventive Arms Control). Technikfolgenabschätzung: Theorie und Praxis, 2 (2005) 128-134. (link)

• Tom Bielefeld, MEADS: Anforderungen - Fähigkeiten - Rüstungskontrolle (MEADS: Requirements - Capabilities - Arms Control). BITG-Working Paper, March 2005.

• Tom Bielefeld, Das Verglühen von Flugkörpern beim Eintritt in die Erdatmosphäre (The Burn-Up of Objects During Entry Into the Earth's Atmosphere). Study commisioned by the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis (INT), 2004.

• Tom Bielefeld, Götz Neuneck, Raketenabwehr-Optionen für die Bush-Administration: Die technische Dimension (Missile Defense Options for the Bush-Administration: The Technical Dimension). Sicherheit und Frieden, 2 (2001) 89-95. (link)

• Tom Bielefeld, Simon Hands, John D. Stack, Roy J. Wensley, Magnetic Monopoles as Agents of Chiral Symmetry Breaking in U(1) Lattice Gauge Theory. Physics Letters B416 (1998) 150-156. (link)

Panels and Invited Talks 

• The Security of Radioactive Sources in Hospitals and Industrial Facilities. Talk at the 12th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA 12), Buenos Aires, Argentina (October 21, 2008).

• Detecting Nuclear and Radioactive Materials. Talk given at the 20th International Summer Symposium on Science and World Affairs, Boston, US (July 30, 2008).

• The Categorization of Radioactive Sources. Invited panelist at the Workshop on Reducing the Risk from Radioactive and Nuclear Materials, Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Washington D.C., US (February 19, 2008).

• Nuclear Attibution as Security Policy Tool: Possibilities and Limitations. Talk given at the Program in Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, US (May 16, 2007).

• Domestic Security of Radioactive Sources. Invited panelist at the Workshop on Reducing the Risk from Radioactive and Nuclear Materials, Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Santa Fe, US (March 21, 2007).

• Medizinische und industrielle Strahlenquellen als radiologische Waffen (Medical and Industrial Radiation Sources as Radiological Weapons). Talk given at the Arbeitskreis Strahlenschutz der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Physik, Bremen, Germany (September 1, 2006).

• Radioactive Sources Security and Radiological Attack Preparedness. Talk given at the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, US (November 18, 2005), at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, US (November 17, 2005), and at the Program on Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, US (November 16, 2005).

• Nuclear Forensic Science: An Introduction. Talk given at the 15th International Summer Symposium on Science and World Affairs, Moscow, Russia (July 24, 2003).

• Missile Defense: A View From Europe. Talk given at the Science and Global Security Program, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, US (February 21, 2002), and at the Security Studies Program Technical Seminar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, US (February 19, 2002).

• Raketenabwehr und die Bush-Administration (Missile Defenses and the Bush-Administration). Talk given at the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis, Euskirchen, Germany (Dec. 12, 2001).

• The Role of the Airborne Laser in Future Strategic Missile Defense Systems. Talk given at the 13th International Summer Symposium on Science and World Affairs, Berlin, Germany (July 26, 2001).

• NMD and Europe. Talk given at the 12th International Summer Symposium on Science and World Affairs, Moscow, Russia (August 30, 2000).

Conference and Seminar Talks

• Thwarting Nuclear Smuggling - Revamping the Defense's Outer Layers. Talk given at the Managing the Atom Seminar Series, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, US (May 13, 2010). (link)
  

• Nuclear Forensics and Its Role in Security Policy. Talk given at the International Security Program Seminar, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, US (November 20, 2008). (link)

• Detecting Nuclear and Radioactive Materials. Talk given at the Managing the Atom Project's Working Group on Nuclear Terrorism, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University , Cambridge, US (December 19, 2007).

• Nuclear Terrorism. Talk given at the International Security Program Fellow's Study Group on Terrorism, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, US (March 30, 2007).

• Radiological Weapons: What's the Threat? What Can Be Done? Talk at the Institute of Environmental Physics Seminar, University of Bremen, Germany (May 2, 2006).

• Radiologische Waffen: Sicherheit von Strahlenquellen und Gefahrenabwehr (Radiological Weapons: Sources Security and Attack Preparedness). Talk given at the 13. Fachgespräch zur Überwachung der Umweltradioaktivität, Bonn, Germany (April 5, 2006) and at the Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Munich, Germany (March 24, 2006).

• Nukleare Forensik: Methoden zur Herkunftsbestimmung von Nuklearmaterial (Nuclear Forensic Science: Methods to Determine the Origin of Nuclear Materials). Talk given at the 2. Symposium Nukleare und Radiologische Waffen, Euskirchen, Germany (September 21, 2005) and at the Institute of Environmental Physics Seminar, University of Bremen, Germany (February 8, 2005).

• MEADS und NATO-TMD: Perspektiven einer europäischen Raketenabwehr (MEADS and NATO-TMD: Perspectives ona European Missile Defense System). Talk given at the Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany (March 8, 2005).

• US-Raketenabwehr: Ein Statusreport (US Missile Defense: A Status Report). Talk given at the Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Munich, Germany (March 25, 2004).

• US-Raketenabwehr: Gegenwärtiger Stand und Perspektiven (US Missile Defense: Current Status and Perspectives). Talk given at the Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Hanover, Germany (March 27, 2003).

• Detecting Nuclear Warheads. Talk given at the Environmental Radioactivity Seminar, Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Germany (Part I, March 18, 2003; Part II, March 25, 2003).

• Eine Raketenabwehr für Europa? (Missile Defenses for Europe?) Talk given at the Frühjahrstagung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Hamburg, Germany (March 29, 2001).

• Raketenabwehr und Internationale Sicherheit (Missile Defense and International Security). Talk given at the Open Workshop of the Project Network Preventive Arms Control, Berlin, Germany (March 15, 2001).

• MEADS and the Emerging Missile Defense Debate in Europe. Talk given at the Conference of Missile Defenses After the US Elections, Berlin, Germany (February 14, 2001).

 Personal Links 

• My wife Nadja Schinkel-Bielefeld (website) is a physicist who specializes in computational neuroscience, probabilistic modelling and human perception. After stints at MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and at the University of Maryland's NeuroTheory Lab, she is currently a research associate with the Audio Division of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits.
  

• Nadja is also a cake artist. Here are some pictures of her work.