Gary Cecchine (Ph.D., Biology/Public Policy) is a RAND Natural Scientist. He leads
and conducts technical and policy research at RAND in a broad area of topics, including
domestic use of the military, homeland security, emergency response, and science and
environmental policy. He recently co-directed research on the role of the Army to
provide civil support following natural disasters and terrorist attacks. This project was the
most recent in his research portfolio of defense support to civil authorities, including
studies on medical support following disasters or terrorism, and an analysis of the
military’s role in Hurricane Katrina. He has conducted a strategic review of emergency
preparedness for a large U.S. governmental organization and has investigated pathways
by which domestic terrorists could produce biological or chemical weapons. His related
research has examined policy and technical approaches that might be needed to halt
multiple bioterrorism attacks in the U.S., and he co-directed an analysis of the
relationship between infectious disease and international security.
Dr. Cecchine’s current environmental and science policy research includes restoration of
coastal resources in the U.S. Gulf region and the investigation of energy production from
vegetation. He recently examined sustainability policies for U.S. Army installations,
following earlier research on the risks of unexploded ordnance and ecosystem
management by the military. He has conducted research on environmental health
following building collapses and the public health risks of drinking and recreational
waters in the United Arab Emirates. He also led research on the possible link between
pesticides and Gulf War Illnesses following Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
Currently, Dr. Cecchine is leading research efforts to support the State of Qatar in
establishing multi-billion dollar research programs.
Dr. Cecchine’s academic background includes environmental biology, public policy, and
military science, and his field experience has included investigating the Southwestern
U.S. Hantavirus outbreak and leading environmental health efforts following natural
disasters, including, for example, Typhoon Val in American Samoa and Hurricane Iniki
in Hawaii. He received a B.S. cum laude in Marine Science and Biology from the
University of Tampa, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate. Following his
Regular U.S. Army commission in the Medical Service Corps, he served in leadership
and staff positions in the 25th Infantry Division (Light), where he was also the
Environmental Science Officer. He later served as a technical project officer in risk
management at the Army’s Environmental Hygiene Agency (now Center for Health
Promotion and Preventive Medicine).
Dr. Cecchine earned his Ph.D. in Biology, with a minor in Public Policy, from the
Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to his tenure at RAND, he was a management
systems consultant to several Fortune 500 companies.