Emili Sabanovic

Emili Sabanovic is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in the intersection of organizational behavior, emerging technologies, and international political economy. Her research examines how governments adopt transformative technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, and digital currencies, with a particular focus on institutional resistance and the process of policy implementation.

Ms. Sabanovic holds an M.S. in International Security (2022) and a B.S. in International Affairs, conferred with Highest Honor (2020), both from Georgia Tech. Her professional experience includes research, policy analysis, and business development across government, industry, and non-profit sectors. She has served as a Nunn National Security Fellow in the Office of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, where she conducted policy analysis on nuclear security, counterterrorism, and AI risk management. As a Graduate Summer Associate at the RAND Corporation, she developed methodologies for the U.S. Air Force to modernize nuclear design certification processes and produced economic models assessing U.S. battery supply chain resilience.

Ms. Sabanovic’s academic work has been featured by the Center for European Policy Analysis, including “Could Blockchain Help NATO’s Supply Chain?” (2023). Her dissertation-in-progress explores institutional drivers of digital transformation in monetary systems. Her broader intellectual interests include the politics of innovation, the intersection of technology and governance, and the evolution of international security institutions in the digital age. She is co-founder and former President of Georgia Tech’s Wargaming Society and has participated in seminars with the International Policy Scholars Consortium and Network (IPSCON) and the Clements Center for History and Statecraft.