Said D. Werner

Said D. Werner is a Research Affiliate at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he works with Prof. Dame Fiona Murray, Dr. Phil Budden, and the MIT Murray Lab for Deep Tech & Geopolitics. He is a Strategic Advisor to the Centre for Economic Security in London and a 2026 Mercator Fellow on International Affairs. He holds an MLitt in International Business from the University of St Andrews.

His research focuses on innovation ecosystems and stakeholder relations, multilateral and deterrence finance, defence and security policy, geopolitics, deep-tech entrepreneurship, and critical technologies. His work sits at the intersection of innovation, economic security, and international affairs.

Said has contributed to German and international policy debates on innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic security. He served as Secretary to the Chairman of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) Treaty Negotiations and was a Special Adviser to the DSRB Development Group’s Chief Economist. Previously, he advised the Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister of Education and Research and the Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia. He also served a term as Vice President of Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen.