Applied Research
Research is foundational to our mission. SRPI conducts major projects each semester focused on complex counterintelligence challenges that cannot be easily solved through governmental means — using open-source methods and interdisciplinary teams.
5
Active & Planned Studies
100%
Open-Source Methods
3
Publication Pathways
Non-Funded
Independent of Government
Research Portfolio
PRC Counterintelligence · Academic Security
Principal Investigator: Andrew Rolander · GSRA: Lucy Mathews
This six-month research initiative examines the growing threat posed by People's Republic of China intelligence services to U.S. academic institutions — through talent recruitment programs, institutional partnerships, and intellectual property theft. The project aims to frame the threat, identify solutions for raising awareness, and develop educational materials and pilot engagement strategies for academic institutions.
CI Awareness · Corporate & Academic Sectors
In collaboration with IXN Solutions
This collaborative study with IXN Solutions explores how counterintelligence is perceived in civilian sectors — specifically corporate and academic institutions — in response to escalating whole-of-society intelligence threats. The team will produce a detailed report for IXN, academic analysis for the Sentinel Journal, and policy recommendations to improve CI literacy in vulnerable sectors.
PRC Influence Operations · OSINT Database
Principal Investigator: Shane McNeil · GSRA: Carla Renner
This project builds a publicly accessible, open-source database of documented People's Republic of China espionage incidents, talent recruitment operations, and influence activities targeting U.S. institutions — with particular focus on academia, the defense industrial base, and technology sectors. Each entry is validated against a minimum two-source protocol using DOJ, FBI, CSIS, Hoover Institution, and congressional testimony records.
CI Reform · Legislative Policy · DoD History
Proposed by Lee Dale, Isar Intelligence · Research Lead: Open — Apply Here
This non-funded, open-source study examines the Department of Defense's historical experiment with the Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA) — its original mission, authorities, and structure; the oversight, legal, and organizational challenges it encountered; and the factors that led to its dissolution, compared against the objectives of the SECURE Act and related ODNI reform efforts.
Information Defense · Civic Identity · Influence Operations
Research Lead: Open — Apply Here
This study explores American perceptions of national values, moral distinctiveness, and political unity during a period of heightened domestic polarization and coordinated foreign information operations, using surveys, focus groups, content analysis, and an experimental component exposing participants to foreign disinformation narratives.
Open Positions
Two studies are currently recruiting research leads: Lessons from CIFA and the SECURE Act and Perceptions of American Values and Unity. Qualified doctoral candidates and advanced researchers are encouraged to apply. All research is non-funded and conducted using open-source methods.
Apply as Research Lead →Submit a Research Topic
Practitioners, scholars, and partner organizations are welcome to submit research topic proposals for SRPI consideration. Proposals should identify a specific national security or counterintelligence challenge that benefits from a non-governmental, open-source analytical approach.
Contact SRPI →