Dan Plafcan acquired a B.S. and M.E. in engineering before going on to he receive his Ph.D in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University in 2007. His dissertation was an investigation of technoscientific diplomacy, using an American-Japanese earth-resources satellite as a case study. His interests include the relationships between science, technology, and national security, the politics of technology transfer, as well as the political economy of East Asia. Dan has held fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the Japanese Ministry of Education.