About IPIS

The Infrastructure Protection and International Security (IPIS) program brings together the core principles of critical infrastructure engineering and multi-hazard threat risk assessment with an awareness of the geopolitical challenges and policy frameworks and options needed for better protecting national critical infrastructure systems.

The program is housed at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, to deliver an interdisciplinary graduate program specifically designed to bridge current gaps in infrastructure protection.

Our Vision

Our vision is to deliver an elite, multidisciplinary graduate program that attracts dedicated and motivated policy analysts committed to safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure. We strive for excellence in every dimension of the program—academic rigor, professional integrity, and the cultivation of innovative, socially informed approaches to infrastructure security. We believe that safe, secure, and sustainable critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility across public and private sectors.

Through advanced training in threat assessment, policy analysis, structural mitigation, and the social science of infrastructure systems, our students learn to evaluate vulnerabilities in Canada and abroad, understand the complex hazards posed by natural events and conflict, and apply best practices to strengthen resilience. Ultimately, IPIS prepares graduates to think creatively, act strategically, and contribute to building and protecting infrastructure in a more coherent, effective, and future‑focused way