Krystal Jackson is the Director for AI Security at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), where she leads technical security research projects to address emerging AI threats.

Krystal brings interdisciplinary experience across AI governance and information security. Prior to joining IST, she was a Non-Resident Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, where she developed risk modeling, management, and threshold-setting frameworks.

Previously, she served as a Research Associate at the Frontier Model Forum, facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration across frontier AI labs to develop safety best practices and security standards. She also worked as a Cybersecurity Specialist and AI Capabilities Analyst at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where she created protocols for evaluating AI model deployment in critical infrastructure. Krystal’s research background includes experience with the Center for AI and Digital Policy’s Research Clinic, as a Public Interest Technology Fellow at the US Census Bureau, and as a Junior AI Fellow at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Her work has been recognized at prominent venues, including the RSAC Conference, TrustCon, Stanford’s Trust and Safety Research Conference, INFORMS, and AAAI. Krystal holds a Master’s degree in Information Security Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was a Johnson-Oliver Scholarship recipient, and a Bachelor’s degree in Ethics, History & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon. In her free time, Krystal is an artist, hacker, and electronics maker.