Elis Vllasi, (Ph.D., Purdue University) is the Associate (Teaching) Professor and Program Director in Applied Cybersecurity and Nuclear Deterrence at the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Dr. Vllasi is an expert in analyzing complex challenges associated with grey zone warfare resulting from hostile influence operations, disinformation and propaganda, emerging and disruptive technologies, and social media weaponization.
His current research involves: 1) assessing Russia’s disinformation and propaganda regarding weapons of mass destruction in the U.S., and U.S. allied and partner countries. 2) examining China’s weaponization of open science and technology ecosystem in the West and explore policy solutions to secure this ecosystem.
A civil and environmental engineer with a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University, Vllasi bridges social sciences and STEM to tackle problems using tailored approaches combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. An experienced entrepreneur in academic programming and a program manager with a record of interfacing with senior government officials (USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Kosovo), private industry, and academia.
He has received numerous research grants and contracts, including those from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Fulbright Fellowship, the U.S. Department of State-Embassy in Tokyo, the Canada Department of National Defence, and the Korea Foundation. Further, Vllasi is an experienced and award-winning university lecturer who has taught numerous courses on national security and defense, international security, and international relations.
Dr. Vllasi has extensive experience creating experiential academic programs. He is the founder and director of the Hybrid Warfare Student Competition, the creator of the U.S. – Japan Diplomacy Academy for University Students in Northern Japan and has co-led the NATO Field School hosted at the Simon Fraser University, Canada.