Ryan Shandler, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP). His research examines the cognitive and behavioral dynamics that shape cyber conflict and AI decision-making. He has developed widely used experimental approaches that immerse participants in realistic, high-fidelity cyber and AI decision environments, enabling causal measurement of judgment, trust, and behavior under controlled conditions.

Central to his work is identifying the psychological mechanisms that underpin harmful digital behaviors and using these insights to design targeted interventions that strengthen resilience. Dr. Shandler has designed and led large-scale behavioral studies across more than ten countries, collectively involving over 50,000 participants, and has developed longitudinal experimental methods to track the downstream cognitive and societal effects of digital threats and interventions over time.

Dr. Shandler’s work has been published in leading venues across political science, computer science, and law, including the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, and USENIX FOCI. His research is supported by DARPA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Google, and other organizations working at the intersection of behavioral science, technology, and security.

Dr. Shandler currently serves as an Area Editor at the Journal of Cybersecurity.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Shandler was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, affiliated with Nuffield College and the Blavatnik School of Government. He holds a PhD from the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne.