DR. TAMARA SCHWARTZ
Conquering Mount VUCA
Critical Cognitive Infrastructure
Board Member, Cognitive Security Institute
Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Strategy, York College of Pennsylvania
Affiliate Researcher, MIT Sloan Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
USAF (Ret.), 2011 Information Operations Officer of the Year, US Embassy Amman, Jordan
Member, 2020 Defense Threat Reduction Agency "Dr. Evil" task force on emerging technology threats
Creator and Host, "Weapons of Mass Disruption" podcast (109 episodes, Feedspot Top 10 Globalization Podcast)
Polycrisis and Cognitive Warfare: Competing Narratives in an Age of Wicked Problems
Societies are increasingly confronting a polycrisis characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), where interconnected wicked problems generate cascading disruptions across political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental systems. Unlike isolated crises, polycrises create reinforcing feedback loops that amplify instability, blur cause and effect relationships, and challenge traditional approaches to decision making and governance.
At the same time, these disruptions unfold within a contested information environment where competing narratives shape how individuals, organizations, and societies interpret events, assign responsibility, and construct meaning. In this environment, narratives become powerful instruments of cognitive warfare, influencing perception, eroding trust, and shaping collective behavior.
This presentation examines the relationship between polycrisis, wicked problems, and information warfare, exploring how state and non-state actors exploit the VUCA environment to gain strategic advantage in the cognitive domain. Drawing on systems thinking, cognitive security, and information warfare, Schwartz explores how narratives function as strategic tools in complex environments, and how organizations can strengthen resilience when the battle for influence increasingly centers on human cognition itself.
Dr. Tamara Schwartz, USAF (Ret.), is a Board Member of the Cognitive Security Institute and an Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Strategy at York College of Pennsylvania. She is also an affiliate researcher with the MIT Sloan Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, an international cybersecurity think tank.
While on active duty, Schwartz's thought leadership informed the standup of Cyber Command and the design of command centers supporting Joint Space, Cyber, and Global Strategic Operations. Her work at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan earned her the 2011 Information Operations Officer of the Year award. More recently, she served on the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's 2020 "Dr. Evil task force," identifying future threats to inform Department of Defense investments in emerging technology.
She holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Dayton, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. Her research spans artificial intelligence, cybersecurity as a strategic competitive advantage, and information warfare.
Schwartz is also the creator and host of "Weapons of Mass Disruption," a podcast now in its fifth season with over 100 episodes, recognized by Feedspot as a Top 10 Globalization Podcast, exploring the intersection of globalization, technology, business, ethics, and social change in what she calls a VUCA world.