John (J.T.) O’Brien is the associate director of research for the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, part of the Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is a public health security professional with a background in bioengineering and emerging infectious diseases. Prior to joining the Commission, he conducted research on the biosecurity implications of artificial intelligence with the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford. Before that, he worked at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, where he supported work on the Global Health Security Index as a contributing author. He previously conducted laboratory research at George Mason University’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases on novel detection methods for Zika, Chikungunya, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, and Rift Valley Fever viruses. O’Brien holds a Bachelor of Science in bioengineering with a concentration in biomedical signals & systems from George Mason University and a Master of Science in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases from Georgetown University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in evolutionary virology at the University of Oxford.