Maria Robson

PhD Alumna in Political Science

Graduated in 2021

Maria Robson received her PhD in Political Science at Northeastern University in 2021. The Experiential PhD has allowed Maria to apply her political science research skills and intelligence analysis research (which is her dissertation focus) for work at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University. Maria is currently working as a Lecturer for the MS in Intelligence Analysis program in Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs. In this position, she developed a course tailoring social science research methods for intelligence analysis graduate students. She has worked at the Harvard Kennedy School as a Research Assistant for the Intelligence Project, a program housed within the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Both positions have proven ideal opportunities for Maria to apply her PhD research interests in private sector intelligence and her research skills acquired within Northeastern’s Political Science PhD program.

Related Schools & Departments

Political Science

Research Interests

Maria’s dissertation research focuses on the expansion of intelligence cooperation to encompass private sector intelligence analysts.

Prior Work

Maria previously worked as a private sector intelligence analyst in the energy industry in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Biography

Maria holds a Master’s in Military, Security, and Strategic Studies from the University of Calgary, where her thesis explored the historical development of Canadian signals intelligence, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in International Relations, Economics, and History from the University of Toronto, both in her home country of Canada.

Publications

Robson, Maria A. “The third eye: Canada’s development of autonomous signals intelligence to contribute to Five Eyes intelligence sharing”. 2020. Intelligence and National Security.

Robson, Maria A. “Risk Analysis Beyond Government Agencies: Conceptualizing Private Sector Intelligence”. 2019. Journal of European and American Intelligence 1(2): 31-48.

Robson, Maria. “Signals in the Sea: The Value of Ultra Intelligence in the Mediterranean during World War II”. 2014. Journal of Intelligence History 13(2): 176-188.

Dau, Luis A, Elizabeth M. Moore, Maria A. Robson. “Strategic Collaboration within Competitive Industries: Private Sector Intelligence” in Managing Interpartner Risks in Strategic Alliances, T. K. Das (ed.). City University of New York, 2019, 239-256.

Dau, Luis A, Elizabeth M. Moore, Amilcar A. Barreto, Maria A. Robson. “Economic Nationalism and International Business” in International Firms’ Economic Nationalism and Trade Policies in the Globalization Era, Harish Chandan and Bryan Christiansen (eds.). IGI Global, 2019, 1-15.

Robson, Maria A. “Review: The Debs of Bletchley Park, by Michael Smith”. 2018. Journal of Intelligence and National Security 33(4): 629-630.

Conference Presentations and Guest Lectures

28 presentations, with the most recent including:
(1) “Expanding Intelligence Cooperation: Incorporating Public-Private Partnerships” • American Political Science Association (APSA), 2020
(2) “Asymmetric Alliances: Understanding International Intelligence Cooperation through Rational Choice” • Southern Political Science Association • Puerto Rico, 2020
(3) “Private Sector Analyst Survey” • Association of International Risk Intelligence Professionals • Washington, DC, 2019, (4) “Sharing Despite Asymmetric Capabilities: The Value of Canadian Signals Intelligence to the UKUSA Intelligence-Sharing Alliance” • Cryptologic Symposium • Laurel, Maryland
(5) “Collecting Foreign Intelligence: The Establishment of Autonomous Canadian Signals Intelligence” • Canadian Foreign Intelligence History Project • Ottawa, Canada
(6) Roundtable Panelist: “The View from 10,000 Feet: A Discussion on the Intelligence Education–Environment Interface in the U.S.” • International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) • New York, USA

Research Interests: International security and intelligence sharing, applying international relations theory and economic theory to how states share intelligence to further national security

Contact info:
960A Renaissance Park
robson.m@northeastern.edu

Curriculum Vitae

More Student Paths

Charles T. Wallace-Thomas IV

Charles took "Sustainable Renewable Energy Development in the Global South" with Professor Shalanda Baker, which pushed him to further question systems as they exist, no matter their entrenched in society.
He did community service as part of the Ujima Global Leaders Program through the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. He worked on the Timebank team, helping give back to local communities.
Charles split his time for his first co-op between the Center for Economic Democracy and the Boston Ujima Project, where he analyzed studies on community needs, including infrastructure and childcare.
He was one of the co-creators of the #BlackAtNU campaign and advocated for racial literacy courses and a restorative and transformative justice center on campus.
Charles made his own research project- a macroeconomic index to measure democratic participation in municipal economies, partnering with NU, the Columbus Foundation and the Center for Economic Democracy.
He worked at the Participatory Budgeting Project as a Program Associate, helping city systems and other organizations actively decide how to invest money across different spaces.
Charles graduated in 2022. ..

Casey Greenleaf

Casey took Global Markets and Local Cultures. After traveling, she better saw how the coursework mirrored real life, and knew her education was preparing her for the world.
She went on a DOC to Argentina and Uruguay, and become highly proficient while living in Buenos Aires and visiting the glaciers of the Patagonia region.
Casey completed her first co-op at the Museum of Fine Arts as a community arts program assistant. She gained valuable hands-on experience assisting in arts classes for local communities.
She joined the Sociology & Anthropology Student Association during her third year. It allowed her to get to know her fellow students and mirrored the small school experience she loved.
Casey studied abroad in Nepal for her capstone thesis. She lived alone for a month while she researched and wrote about the lived experience of climate change in the lower Himalayas.
She worked for the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, founded by Professor Sarah Wylie. She produced promotional videos, developed a virtual research event, wrote event programming, and more.
Casey graduated in 2020. ..

Sunita Pfitzner

Sunita took Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection, taught by Professor Risa Kitagawa. The course invited students to question the motives behind acts of violence against governments.
She traveled on a Dialogue of Civilizations to Jordan and Egypt; while there she grew interested in Middle East politics and the Arabic language.
Sunita worked at the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney, Australia, where she analyzed data on the corruption of police forces in Mexico.
Sunita was a member of the International Relations Council and traveled abroad with the club to compete in Model Arab League, Model NATO, and Model UN conferences.
Sunita conducted research with Berna Turam, developing a greater understanding of the Mediterranean migrant crisis. She also researched the feminist response to Covid-19 with Val Moghadam.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022.
..

Yasser Aponte

Yasser was in the Foundation Year program at Northeastern. The program was a rigorous deep dive into core subject classes that helped Yasser bridge the gap between his high school and college experiences.
He took Issues in Cities and Suburbs with Professor Erin Graves in Fall 2018. As someone deeply invested in urban life, he found the course was an enlightened look at the problems endemic to cities.
Yasser joined the Boston Beer Company as a Program Operations and Event Assistant for his first co-op. He worked on inventory, public relations, brewery events, and workspace organization.
He implemented community gardens all over Boston on deserted plots of land during his time as the Northeastern Campus Director for the campus’ United Nations Millennium Fellowship.
Yasser maintained a farm in Dorchester for The Food Project. He harvested crops, distributed produce through donations and food markets, and worked on overall logistics.
In 2020, Yasser won the Community Service Leadership award, given to students who show exemplary community engagement. He was recognized for his work at The Food Project, Northeastern Crossing, and more.
He graduated 2022 with his Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Religious Studies and his Master’s in Security and Resilience Studies, through Northeastern’s PlusOne program...