Nancy K. Hayden is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where she leads strategic foresight and decision analysis on how emerging technologies – such as Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy, and Space Systems – will impact human security and global stability. Dr. Hayden is also an expert on the science of complex systems and peace engineering in international security and conflict settings. Over the course of her 35-year career at Sandia, she has lead US and international teams for nuclear safety and waste management, nuclear nonproliferation, and countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Dr. Hayden earned a PhD in International Security and Economics at the Maryland School of Public Policy, where she remains a Research Scholar with the Center for International and Strategic Studies. She is also an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico, leading the strategic partnership between Sandia and UNM in the emerging field of Peace Engineering. Driven by a commitment to advancing the power of women to change the world, her passion is fielding engineering innovations to transform conflict-ridden societies. She has conducted field research in the US, Europe, and Africa, interviewing hundreds of government officials, military personnel, civil society, and non- governmental organizations, and humanitarian relief organizations.

Dr. Hayden is a permanent resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she is a volunteer in the local community and state governance. She is active in STEM mentorship programs at the University of NM. Dr. Hayden is also an avid wilderness hiker, bird watcher, and adventure traveler. She holds a BS in Math from UT Austin, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the UC Berkeley and is a graduate of executive programs on Nonviolent Conflict at the Fletcher School of International Affairs, and on National Security Space at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.