Rebecca Slayton

Associate Professor

320 Morrill Hall
rs849@cornell.edu

Education

Ph.D., Chemical and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
M.A., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
B.S., Chemistry, Westmont College

Departments and programs

Science and Technology Studies

Keywords

history of technology; computing; international security; governance; risk; cybersecurity

Overview

Slayton’s research and teaching examine the relationships between and among risk, governance, and expertise, with a focus on international security and cooperation since World War II. Her first book, Arguments that Count: Physics, Computing, and Missile Defense, 1949-2012 (MIT Press, 2013), shows how the rise of a new field of expertise in computing reshaped public policies and perceptions about the risks of missile defense in the United States. In 2015, Arguments that Count won the Computer History Museum Prize.

Slayton’s second book project, Shadowing Cybersecurity, examines the emergence of cybersecurity expertise through the interplay of innovation and repair. Slayton is also working on a third project which examines tensions intrinsic to the creation of a “smart” electrical power grid—i.e. a more sustainable, reliable, and secure grid. Both of these current projects are supported by a five-year National Science Foundation CAREER award, “Enacting Cybersecurity Expertise.” In 2019, Slayton was also a recipient of the United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, for her NSF CAREER project.

Research Focus

History of computing; peace and conflict studies; history of science and technology; risk; expertise

Affiliations

Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies

Einaudi Center for International Studies

Publications

Academic Articles and Chapters

Yue Zhao and Rebecca Slayton, "Tool, Doctor, and Hooligan: History ofAntivirus Software in China, 1989-2010," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 45 no. 1 (2023): 43-54.
Rebecca Slayton, "(De)stabilizing Cyber Warriors: The Emergence of U.S. Military Cyber Expertise, 1967-2018," 117-213 in Cyberspace and Instability, eds. Robert Chesney, James Chires, Max Smeets (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2023)
Rebecca Slayton, "Introduction: The Early Lives and Lasting Legacies of Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman, 1-16 in Rebecca Slayton (ed) Democratizing Cryptography: The Work of Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie (New York, NY: ACM Books, 2022).
Slayton, Rebecca (2021) "What Is a Cyber Warrior? The Emergence of U.S. Military Cyber Expertise, 1967–2018." Texas National Security Review 4(1).
Slayton, Rebecca and Brian Clarke (2020) "Trusting Infrastructure: The Emergence of Computer Security Incident Response, 1989-2005." Technology & Culture 61(1): 173-206.
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg and Rebecca Slayton (2019) "Regulating Risks within Complex Sociotechnical Systems: Evidence from Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Standards." Science and Public Policy 46(3): 339-346.
Slayton, Rebecca, and Aaron Clark-Ginsberg (2018) Beyond Regulatory Capture: Emerging Expertise in Critical Infrastructure Protection. Regulation & Governance 12(1), 115-130.
Slayton, Rebecca (2017) “What is the Cyber Offense-Defense Balance? Conceptions, Causes and Assessment.” International Security 41(3): 72-109.
Slayton, Rebecca (2016) “Framing Computer Security, 1967-1992.” in Communities of Computing: Computer Science and Society in the ACM, edited by Thomas Misa, 282-323. New York: ACM Press.
Slayton, Rebecca, and Graham Spinardi (2016) “Radical Innovation in Scaling Up: Boeing’s Dreamliner and the Challenge of Socio-technical Transitions,” Technovation 47: 47-58.
Slayton, Rebecca (2015) “Measuring Risk: Computer Security Metrics, Automation, and Learning,” IEEE Annals in the History of Computing 37(2): 32-45.
Spinardi, Graham, and Rebecca Slayton (2015) “Greener Aviation: Take-off (Delayed): Analyzing Environmental Transitions with the Multi-level Perspective.” Science & Technology Studies 28(1): 28-51.
Slayton, Rebecca (2013) “Efficient, Secure Green: Digital Utopianism and the Challenge of a ‘Smart’ Grid.” Information and Culture 48(4): 448-478.
Slayton, Rebecca (2012) “From a ‘Dead Albatross’ to Lincoln Labs: Applied Research and the Making of a ‘Normal’ Cold War University.” Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 42(4): 255-282.

Public Outreach Articles and Briefs

"Rethinking Vulnerability: Structural Inequality as National Insecurity," International Security Studies Forum, January 21, 2021. With Jason Ludwig.
“The Promise and Risks of Artificial Intelligence: A Brief History,” Texas National Security Review Policy Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and International Security, June 2, 2020.
"Trump says ‘America must win’ the 5G race. Here’s what you need to know." Washington Post Monkey Cage, April 18, 2019.
“Beyond Cyber Threats: the Technopolitics of Vulnerability.” International Security Studies Forum, April 2018.
“Why Cyber Operations Do Not Always Favor the Offense.” Policy brief at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, 2017.
“The Paradoxical Authority of the Certified Ethical Hacker,” Limn 8, 2017.
“Measuring Security: Metrics and the Problem of Cybersecurity Governance.” White paper for Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, 2016
“The Fallacy of Proven and Adaptable Defenses.” Federation of American Scientists Public Interest Report 67(3), 2014.