Institute for Defense Analyses
AI and national security experience
About
About Learning Journey AI
Learning Journey AI makes high-quality, project-based education on AI accessible to working professionals. The goal is practical fluency: people leave with useful workflows, not just a list of tools.
Relevant Experience
AI research, policy, software, and hands-on training
National Science Foundation
AI R&D program evaluation strategy
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship
Science policy and public service
U.S. State Department Speakers Program
Selected program work
Northwestern University
Ph.D. in materials science and engineering
SCSP AI+ Expo
Hands-on AI coding workshop
Technical.ly RealLIST Innovators 2026
Recognized DC-region AI innovator
Meet Our Team
AI research, educational policy, and software engineering
Nicholas Wagner
Chief Executive Officer
Ph.D., NorthwesternAAAS STPF at NSFInstitute for Defense AnalysesProject-based AI literacy
Nicholas has over ten years of experience bridging AI, policy, national security, science funding, and materials research. His work includes materials science research, national security work at the Institute for Defense Analyses, and AI R&D program work as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University.
Hyrum Hurst
AI Automation and Training Engineer
AI automationAgentic codingClaude Code curriculumTraining systems
Hyrum works at the front edge of agentic coding — building AI systems that don't just answer questions but do the work: writing code, running it, testing it, and shipping it. He builds the automation Learning Journey AI runs on, from the learning platform and website to the course authoring pipeline behind everything the company ships. He wrote the company's Claude Code curriculum, including its Getting Started and Build Websites courses, teaching people to direct AI agents rather than just prompt them. His focus is the distance between an impressive demo and a system a team actually relies on every day.
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