Gary Cecchine, Ph.D., Biology/Public Policy, Natural Scientist, RAND

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 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
is currently leading research support for the Congressionally-mandated Advisory Panel on
Department of Defense Capabilities for Support of Civil Authorities After Certain Incidents.
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 has
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 on
military installations. 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.