SHIRA EFRON
1233 ½ 11 street, Santa Monica, CA, 90401, (310) 866-8099, sefron1@rand.org
Skills Profile
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Professional
Experience
Policy Research: formal training and practical experience in quantitative & qualitative methods
Excellent communication skills: oral & written (journals/proposals/briefs/op-eds)
Business development: experience in initiating new projects, cultivating relationships and client
presentations, frequent interactions with senior officials in the United States and abroad
Computer Skills: STATA; Analytica; Tableau; AMPL; Mathematica; MS Office Suite; Bloomberg
Languages: English (native); Hebrew (native); Arabic (basic); Spanish (basic)
RAND CORPORATION
Santa Monica, CA 2011 - Present
Non-profit, non-partisan research institution that advises Government and non-Governmental clients
Policy Analyst
 Initiate, lead and work on a variety of projects in a multidisciplinary environment, partnering with
engineers, political scientists, economists, and social scientists to achieve RAND’s mission of
improving “policy and decision making through research and analysis."
 Appointed as a liaison between PhD fellows and RAND’s Defense units; co-match fellows to senior
researchers to staff projects in a cost-effective manner and fulfill fellows’ on-the-job requirements.
 Successfully expand RAND’s outreach in Israel, secure funding and connect with Israeli stakeholders.
 While completing a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis, delivered peered reviewed reports in the fields of food
security, health, defense, strategy and others.
 A sub-set of RAND projects include:
- Co-developed RAND’s unique Integrated Food-Water-Energy Security Index.
- Conducted scenario analysis and developed a policy framework to assess lessons from the
2014 Ebola outbreak and to improve decision-making under uncertainty.
- Helped develop a Socioeconomic Strategic Planning unit within the Israeli PM’s Office.
- Researched and applied customer service principles to develop an approach for Sustainable
Operations at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex.
- Assessed the costs of the stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians.
- Co-led a study for the U.S. Government on ways to maintain technical & scientific expertise.
THE INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSIVE SECURITY
Jerusalem, Israel 2010 - 2011
NGO devoted to demonstrating and growing women’s contributions to peacebuilding worldwide
Policy Director and Country Representative, Israel
Established the Institute’s presence in Israel and served as first representative and policy director in the
country, helping to scope mission and prioritize tasks.
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Formed a network of female experts in defense, national security, environment, law, economics etc.
to ensure that more women contribute directly to security discourse.
Drafted policy recommendations, designed advocacy and dissemination strategies.
Worked closely with partners in government and parliament to amend and monitor legislation.
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
Washington DC; Israel 2007 - 2010
Editor, Middle East Bulletin (Middle East Progress)
Managed, edited a publication for high-level Government and stakeholder audience on the intersection
of U.S. political, economic, and security interests in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
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Wrote and edited policy papers and articles and conducted interviews with subject matter experts.
Developed policy recommendations on U.S. interests in the MENA and South Asia regions.
Interacted daily with former and serving government officials in Washington DC and in Israel.
AXIOM INVESTMENT ADVISORS LLC
New York, NY 2003-2004
Analyst
 Helped develop, and operated a statistical arbitrage system trading on multiple exchanges.
 Collected data and created databases of various economic indicators for nine countries.
 Provided real-time support for head of trading, and coordinated with banks.
HAARETZ
Tel Aviv, Israel 1999-2001
Editor
 Assisted Editor in-Chief in determining content to be published and translated.
 Supervised reporters, translators and graphic artists, assigning tasks under tight deadlines.
 Edited op-ed articles, decided on visuals and chose titles.
ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
Israel 1997-1998
Reporter, Ba’Machane (‘In the Camp,’ the IDF Magazine)
 Covered the Israeli parliament (Knesset) and judiciary, including frequent interviews with Israeli
members of parliament, judges and generals, and weekly attendance in parliament sessions.
Internships
MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE
Washington, DC Spring 2007
Publication Analyst
 Researched and wrote background articles for The Middle East Journal.
 Drafted policy briefs on events and lectures hosted by Middle East Institute.
THE CENTER PERES FOR PEACE
Tel Aviv, Israel Summer 2006
International Relations Advisor
 Was offered to launch the U.S. branch of the center while interning.
 Coordinated civil society initiatives with partners from 22 countries in the region.
Education
PARDEE RAND GRADUATE SCHOOL
Santa Monica, CA
Ph.D., Policy Analysis
August 20, 2015
My dissertation examined the technical and non-technical feasibility of using technology in
African agriculture focusing on UAVs. This mixed-method study addresses issues pertaining to
engineering, infrastructure, institutions, security, cost, and public perceptions. Having included a
field survey and in-depth interviews in Kenya, the research led to collaboration with two
universities, three NGOs and gained traction with government officials.
Awards:
- Project Air Force Dissertation Award
- The Pardee Dissertation Award for Global Human Progress
- Awarded distinction in Public Policy Analysis in qualifying exams
 M. Phil., Policy Analysis
2013
Graduate level classes in Public Policy, Technology Foresight, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics,
Operation Research, Decision Analysis, Cost Benefit/Effectiveness Analysis, and more.
 TA - Macroeconomics; and Methods in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
 M.A., International Business and International Affairs
 TA - International Law; and Middle East Politics
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
 B.Sc., Biology (major); Computer Science (minor)
New York, NY
2007
Tel Aviv, Israel
2003
Other
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Selected
Publications
The costs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Anthony, C. Ross.; Egel, Daniel.; Ries, Charles P.; Bond, Craig.; Liepman, Andrew.; Martini, Jeffrey.;
Simon, Steven.; Efron, Shira.; Stein, Bradley D.; Ayer, Lynsay.; Vaiana, Mary E.
Only Fellow to brief RAND’s President and Board of Trustees as part of end of year unit reviews
Regular speaker in RAND and Pardee RAND development events
Co-founder and board member, Blue White Future; Member, Council for Peace and Security
Currently building my first hobby drone
Innovative Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology in Quelea-Control: Can It Fly?
Shira Efron, Julius Gatune Kariuki; to be presented at the 2nd AfricaLics Conference in Kigali, Rwanda in
November 2015
A Simple Decision Support Tool to Assess Potential Public Health Emergency Interventions- Proof-ofConcept and Illustrative Application to Ebola.
Efron, Shira.; Chamberline, Margaret,; Moore, Melinda.; RAND Corporation Research Report, 2015
Mitigating the Impact of Ebola in Potential Future International Hot Zones: Proof of Concept to Help
Prepare for High-Risk Scenarios Outside Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Gelfeld, William.; Efron, Shira.; Blank, Jonah.; Moore, Melinda. RAND Corporation Research Report,
2015
The RAND Food-Water-Energy Security Index.
Willis, Henry H. ; Groves, David G.; Ringel, Jeanne S.; Mao, Ringel; Efron, Shira. RAND Corporation
Research Report, 2015 (forthcoming)
An Approach for Sustainable Operations at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex.
Baiocchi, Dave.; Welser, Bill; Rand, Lisa. Magnuson, Bonnie.; Efron, Shira.; Rhodes, Carl .; Hazzard,
Patricia.; Edwards, Karen.; Kups, Sarah. RAND Corporation Research Report, 2014
Long-Term Socio-Economic Strategy in Israel. Popper, Steven.; Shatz, Howard, Shira Efron, Shmuel
Abramzon.; Berrebi, Claude.; Crane, Keith, Kilburn, Rebecca.
RAND Corporation Research Report, 2014 (forthcoming)
Evaluating the impact of the Department of Defense regional centers for security studies.
Hanauer, Larry.; Johnson, Stuart E.,; Springer, Christopher.; Feng, Chaoling.; McNerney, Michael J.;
Pezard, Stephanie.; Efron, Shira. RAND Corporation Research Report, 2014.
Effective policing for 21st-century Israel.
Saunders, Jessica M.; Popper, Steven W.,; Morral, Andrew R.; Davis, Robert C.; Berrebi, Claude,;
Leuschner, Kristin.; Efron, Shira.; Segalovitz, Boaz.; Riley, Kevin Jack. RAND Corporation Research
Report, 2013.
Israel's future security environment: Israeli perceptions and responses.
Thaler, David E.; Kaye, Dalia Dassa.; Spirtas, Michael.; Larrabee, F. Stephen.; Martini, Jeffrey.; Nader,
Alireza.; Shira Efron. RAND Corporation Research Report, 2013.
References available upon request