The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) will hold its 3rd annual Achievement Awards Ceremony Thursday, December 6th, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill from 6p.m. to 10p.m. The ceremony will honor six young professionals in the intelligence and national security sectors for their professional contribution to the community.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker is Letitia A. Long, Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
WashingtonExec got a chance to chat with the award recipients as they told us about their nomination, what it means to them, their mission and more.
Today’s participant is Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer, recipient of the Sidney D. Drell Academic Award.
WashingtonExec: Did you know you were nominated for the award, or was it a surprise?
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: No, I was quite surprised when I heard about the award. It is a big honor for me.
WashingtonExec: How would you describe your mission?
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: My research focus lies in the computational analysis of organizations and societies with a special emphasis on large-scale systems. I am particularly interested in methodological and algorithmic questions as well as challenges arising from analyzing such systems. The goal: Real Time Analysis of Large-Scale Dynamic Socio-Cultural Systems. In general, I answer the question with Jean–Luc Picard, Captain of the USS-Enterprise: “Our mission is to go forward, and it has only just begun. There’s still much to do, still so much to learn. Engage!”
WashingtonExec: Finish the sentence: The best part of about my job is…
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: The best part of my job is that I learn a lot about structure and dynamics in groups, organizations, and societies – this is what I was always interested in.
WashingtonExec: Who has been a mentor to you throughout your career?
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: Kathleen Carley from CMU has been a very important and supportive mentor in my career. She does an amazing job in handling big research projects and pushing research forward in the area of Dynamic Network Analysis.
WashingtonExec: What organizations are you involved with outside of work?
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: I grew up in Austria. With the “Friends of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York,” I am engaged in the exchange of art and culture but also academia between Austria and the U.S.
WashingtonExec: What is your favorite intelligence movie or book?
Dr. Jürgen Pfeffer: I like the new Bond movies with Daniel Craig.
