Dr. Robert O Brien

Biography

Bobby O’Brien is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the Center for West European Studies, associated with the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is a Cybersecurity Strategist at Apple, focusing on international cybersecurity policy since joining the company’s Information Security division in 2019. Prior to this role, from 2013 to 2019, Bobby held positions at Microsoft that concentrated on the intersection of international affairs and business. He served as the international business planning lead for Microsoft Azure, facilitating the launch of programs in Germany, India, and China. Later, as a Senior Cybersecurity Strategist on Microsoft's Digital Diplomacy Team, he worked on cyber supply chain risk management and contributed to the development of policies related to Chinese cybersecurity. Bobby was a founding member of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, leading efforts to apply cybersecurity practices in the context of election defense. Before joining the private sector, Bobby was a researcher at the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from George Washington University, an M.Sc. in Global Governance and Diplomacy from the University of Oxford, and is currently a D.Phil candidate in International Relations at Oxford. He was a Fulbright Scholar in the People’s Republic of China from 2008 to 2009. Bobby is fluent in Chinese and has lived in various places including Washington D.C., Beijing, Oxford, and has been residing in West Seattle with his wife and children since 2013.

Research Interests