Jessica L. Beyer

Jessica L. Beyer is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, and leads the school's Cybersecurity Initiative. She specializes in cybersecurity politics, international technology politics, and dis/misinformation. Her research includes projects on pandemic-era Twitter sentiment analysis, IoT security, and information dissemination in informal online spaces. She has received grants from the National Science Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and others. Notable awards include the 2025 UW Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award and multiple JSIS Student Service Awards (2019, 2023).

Education: PhD and MA in Political Science (University of Washington, 2011/2005), MA in International Studies (University of Bath, 2000), and BA in International Studies (UW Jackson School, 1999).

Research focuses on online communities' political impact, including hacktivist groups like Anonymous and digital pirates. Her book *Expect Us: Online Communities and Political Mobilization* (Oxford UP, 2014) won the 2012 AIO Dissertation Award. Current projects address cybersecurity risks in organizational communication and policy implications of online information spread.

Teaches courses on global cybersecurity, disinformation, and technology's role in international studies. Serves as a mentor for MA/PhD students and collaborates in UW's Cybersecurity in the Built Environment Lab.