Matthew W. Guasco

Lieutenant Colonel Matt W. Guasco, PhD is a National Defense Postdoctoral Fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. 

Matt was commissioned in 2004 through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program where he majored in Human Factors Ergonomics. He is a Command Pilot and United Stated Air Force Weapons School Graduate and Instructor with over 2300 hours in the B-52H including numerous nuclear and conventional deterrence missions. His staff experience includes a one-year assignment to the Republic of Korea from 2017-2018 as the Strategy Plans Team Chief for the 607th Air Operations Center, where he was responsible for developing Joint Force integrated air operations to deter North Korean aggressions. 

Matt holds a PhD in Psychology and holds master's degrees in Aeronautical Science, Military Operational Art and Science, and Operational Studies. His research interests include leadership/mentorship, motivation, deterrence theory, the design of coercive air campaigns, and strategies for preventing nuclear escalation.