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Course Lecturers

The Strategic Space Law is taught by experts and scholars who are recognised for their expertise in space law and strategic uses of outer space.

Course convener:

Course lecturers:

Course Coordinator:

  • Mr. David Kuan-Wei Chen (McGill University, Canada)

Dr. Arnold Agaba

Dr. Arnold Agaba is a Ugandan-born lawyer and academic specializing in air and space law, with a focus on advancing the field in Africa. He holds a PhD and Master of Laws in Air and Space Law from McGill University, a Master of Laws in US Legal System and International Law from the University of Cincinnati, a Bachelor of Laws from Uganda Christian University, and a Diploma in Legal Practice from Uganda’s Law Development Centre.

Dr. Agaba lectures at McGill University, in Uganda and across Africa. He is a member of the Uganda Law Society and the East African Law Society, where he chairs the Air and Space Law Committee and he serves as Chair of the Research Group on Air and Space Law in Africa. He is dedicated to legal education and capacity building, leading training and research programs for African professionals in aviation and space governance.

His research explores how African states develop legal and institutional frameworks for the sustainable and responsible use of outer space. Dr. Agaba focuses on the challenges and opportunities African countries face in space governance, including policy development, legal harmonization, and integrating African perspectives into international space law. He is a strong advocate for African participation in the global space sector and emphasizes the importance of international cooperation urging African countries to contribute to the development international norms governing space activities. His work highlights the need for inclusive dialogue, capacity building, and sharing best practices to ensure Africa’s interests are represented in space governance.

Almudena Azcárate Ortega

 

Dr. Almudena Azcárate Ortega leads Space Law and Regulation work at Secure World Foundation as a Senior Program Analyst. She has a decade of experience working in international law, primarily focused on outer space issues.

Prior to joining SWF, Dr. Azcárate Ortega was the lead Space Security Researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), where she was in charge of leading the design and implementation of the Institute’s research projects and strategies on space issues. She has published widely, briefed UN Member States on the topics of space law and policy, and has presented her research in multiple fora. She has led UNIDIR’s participation in several multilateral processes related to outer space matters. She currently retains an affiliation to UNIDIR as a Fellow.

Dr. Azcárate Ortega is also an Academic Fellow with the Center on National Security at Georgetown University. She is licensed to practice law in Spain, and prior to joining UNIDIR, she worked as a lawyer focused on high-stakes international litigation and arbitration for one of Spain’s top law firms, Uría Menéndez.

Dr. Azcárate Ortega holds a doctorate in Space Security Law from Georgetown University, focused on the distinction between dual-use and dual-purpose space systems. She also holds an LL.M. in National Security Law from the same institution, where she was awarded Georgetown’s Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Prize for the most distinguished academic performance in the programme. She holds a dual Masters degree in Legal Practice and Corporate Law from the University of Navarra, Spain, and received her LL.B. from the same institution.

Roy Balleste

Dr. Roy Balleste, MRAeS is a tenured full professor of law at Stetson University College of Law, where he serves as Director of International Initiatives and Director of the Law Library. As Director of International Initiatives, Dr. Balleste leads Stetson Law’s global engagement strategy. He develops international partnerships, fosters student and faculty exchanges, and represents the College at leading global forums. His international work includes presentations at the United Nations High-Level Forum on Space, McGill University’s Strategic Space Law Course, and the International Astronautical Congress. Dr. Balleste is a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). In addition to his space law expertise, Dr. Balleste has been a longstanding voice in global internet governance. He served for more than a decade with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), including as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Noncommercial Users Constituency. Through this work, he helped shape international policy on issues such as Whois regulation, ensuring civil society representation in the global governance of the internet. His research spans space law, cybersecurity, internet governance, and the legal dimensions of emerging technologies. He is currently pursuing a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) credential at the National Defense University.

Julia Balm

Dr Julia Balm is a Research Associate in the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London specialising in space strategy and emerging disruptive technologies in the space domain. She researches contemporary space power and advocates for an interdisciplinary approach to the space domain; she works across the House of Lords, Ministry of Defence, and the Defence Academy to deliver research on cross sector strategy and pan-governmental approaches to security challenges. She also teaches officer courses on air and space power at the Joint Services Command and Staff College for the Royal Air Force. She was a Junior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defence College across 2024-2025 specialising on space power and disruptive technologies.

Andrea Buitrago Carranza

Andrea Buitrago Carranza is a Barrister and Solicitor, member of the Law Society of Ontario since 2017, specialized in Air & Space Law, International Human Rights Law (IHRL), and the Law of Armed Conflict. She is currently a DCL(PhD) Candidate at the McGill IASL, and also serves as Legal Officer at the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) of the Canadian Armed Forces.

She holds a B.A. Honours in Political Studies from Bishop’s University, a Master in Public Administration from Queen’s University, a BCL/JD from McGill University and an LLM from the McGill IASL. Her current PhD research explores the protection of human rights for the first humans present on the Moon, focused on the concept of extra-territorial application of IHRL.

Within the OJAG, Ms. Buitrago Carranza spent most of her time as part of the Directorate of Strategic and Operational Law, which is the directorate within the Operational Law division that provides strategic legal advice to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Minister of National Defence. In this role she was the lead advisor for Air Space Incidents (AIS), NORAD, use of force in international operations, national authorities to deploy, and also provided advice and legal support on Space Law matters.

In her current role as Deputy Director of the Office of the Assistant Judge Advocate General (Europe), located in Germany, she provides legal advice on international law and military law to support personnel stationed in Europe, including matters relating to the NATO SOFA. During the first half of 2026 she deployed as Legal Advisor to the NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia (MNB-LVA), for which she was awarded the Non-Article 5 NATO Vigilance Medal, and received the MNB-LVA Commander’s Commendation for outstanding work on Roto 26-01 of Op REASSURANCE.

Ms. Buitrago Carranza joined the OJAG after having worked at the legal offices of three Specialized Agencies of the United Nations between 2016 and 2018: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, and the International Civil Aviation Organization of the United Nations (ICAO) in Montreal. As part of McGill Law International Clerkship Program, Ms. Buitrago Carranza was also a legal clerk at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, assisting the president of the Court.

Gilles Doucet

Gilles Doucet is an independent space security consultant with expertise in satellite technologies, space security, satellite cybersecurity, and governance. Spectrum’s consultancy focuses on the convergence of the multiple domains (technical, policy, legal) that influence international space security. Doucet delivers research, education and training services to both military and civilian clients. Mr Doucet has authored numerous open-source publications on space security, space governance and space cybersecurity.

Mr Doucet, in cooperation with McGill’s IASL, co-hosts and lectures at the annual online Strategic Space Law course. Mr Doucet has been a guest lecturer on space law courses at several universities and an invited technical expert at a number of UN events and webinars.

Mr. Doucet is the Lead Technical Expert for the MILAMOS project which is delivering the McGill Manual of International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space.

Doucet worked for 35 years with the Canadian Department of National Defence as a research scientist focusing primarily on military space capabilities.

Stuart Eves

Stuart Eves has recently founded his own space consultancy company, SJE Space, after spending 14 years with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and 16 years with the UK Ministry Of Defence.

During his time with the MOD, Stuart initiated the TopSat satellite programme, which established a new world record for “resolution per mass of satellite”, and previously formed part of the space gallery at the Science Museum in London.

He has recently published Space Traffic Control, a book which describes the measures needed to maintain the space environment and protect satellites from both natural hazards and man-made threats such as space debris.

Stuart has an MSc in Astrophysics, a PhD in constellation design, and has been a fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society for more than 25 years. He takes an active interest in all things space.

Steven Freeland

Professor Steven Freeland (BCOM, LLB, LLM, PHD) is a Co-Founder and Principal at Azimuth Advisory, and is Emeritus Professor at Western Sydney University, where he was previously the Dean of the School of Law, and Professorial Fellow at Bond University. He also has honorary Adjunct or Visiting Appointments at the University of Vienna; the iCourts Centre of Excellence for International Courts, University of Copenhagen; the University of Hong Kong; the London Institute of Space Policy and Law; Université Toulouse1 Capitole; the Centre for Research in Air and Space Law, McGill University; the Outer Space Institute, University of British Columbia; Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Marie Curie Fellow (2013-2014), an expert assessor for Government Research Councils in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Africa, The Netherlands and the United States, and has taught various aspects of International Law in over 20 countries. Prior to becoming an academic, he had a 20-year career as an international commercial lawyer and investment banker.

He has represented the Australian Government at various United Nations Committee Meetings, and advised the Australian, New Zealand, Norwegian and several other Governments on issues related to the national and international regulation of space activities and the development of a national space-industry strategy. He has been appointed by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) as Vice-Chair of a 5 year Working Group addressing issues regarding the exploration, exploitation and utilization of space resources, and by the Australian Government as a Member of the Australian Space Agency Advisory Board. Among other appointments, he is a Director of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL); a member of the Space Law Committee of the International Law Association (ILA); and a member of both the Space Law Committee and War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA). He has also been a Visiting Professional within the Appeals Chamber at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and a Special Advisor to the Danish Foreign Ministry in matters related to the ICC.

He sits on the Editorial Board of the Canada-based Annals of Air and Space Law, the German-based German Journal of Air and Space Law, the China-based Space Law Review, the London-based ROOM Space Journal, the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Planetary Science, the Russian-based Space Law Research and on the Advisory Board of a series of books entitled Studies in Space Law. He is also Co-Editor of Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals, a series of casebooks annotating the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in East Timor.

He has authored approximately 300 publications on various aspects of International Law and has been invited to present over 1800 expert commentaries by national and international media outlets worldwide on a wide range of legal and geopolitical issues. He has been invited to present conference papers. presentations and keynote speeches in Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, The Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.

Wg. Cdr. Clifford Fletcher‑Jones (Ret’d)

Man with black and grey hair and a bardWing Commander Cliff "GSL" Fletcher-Jones (Ret'd) is a geographer and spacepower strategist who spent twenty years in the Royal Air Force, the majority of it as a space operations officer. He was the first UK national to serve as Deputy Director of Space Forces at US European and Africa Command, before establishing the UK's first Multi-Role Space Squadron and becoming the inaugural Assistant Chief of Staff at HQ UK Space Command. He holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the US Space Force's Shriever Space Scholar programme, graduating Summa Cum Laude, alongside master's degrees in Aerosystems and in Leadership and Management. He is a Chartered Geographer and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Portal Research Fellow at King's College London (KCL), and a Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University's Institute of Advanced Studies, where he helped develop the field of Remote Geopolitics. His recent research, published in KCL's Freeman Papers, draws on his earlier career as a senior soloist with an international ballet company to develop a language for reading orbital manoeuvre as embodied, cultural performance across orbitscapes. He teaches Geography at Jerudong International School in Brunei, is Vice-Chair of the Brunei National Committee to COSPAR (the Committee on Space Research), and is a researcher at King's College London's Freeman Air and Space Institute and the Royal United Services Institute.

Col. Jimmy Gutzman

Smiling bald man in uniformColonel James H. “Jimmy” Gutzman serves as the Staff Judge Advocate for United States Space Command, the Unified Combatant Command responsible for conducting operations in, from, and to space to deter conflict, and, if necessary, defeat aggression, deliver space combat power for the Joint/Combined force, and defend U.S. vital interests with allies and partners.

Col Gutzman entered the Air Force in 1993 as a graduate of Basic Military Training. He served nine years as a Satellite and Wideband Maintenance Craftsman. He commissioned in 2002 and served eight years as a Space Operations Officer in the California Air National Guard. Upon completion of law school, he transferred back into the active-duty Air Force as a direct appointee. He previously served as staff judge advocate, deputy staff judge advocate, and chief of space law. He is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Minnesota and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

He serves alongside his wife, Kristin, and their four children.

Andrea Harrington

Prof. Andrea Harrington currently serves as the Co-Director of the Institute of Air and Space Law and Associate Professor in the McGill Faculty of Law. She is a member of the editorial board for the McGill Annals of Air and Space Law, New Space, and the American Bar Association publication The Air and Space Lawyer as well as providing peer review for numerous other publications including Acta Astronautica and Space Policy. Among other publications, she is the author of the book “Space Insurance and the Law: Maximizing Private Activities in Outer Space,” which won the British Insurance Law Association Book Prize for 2022. Prof. Harrington is a licensed attorney in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She also teaches in the Space Resources Program for the Colorado School of Mines. Her current research focuses on the use of the principle of due regard in space law and international law.

Prof. Harrington previously served as Dean of Space Education at Air University for the United States Space Force (USSF), where she was responsible for overseeing the West Space Seminar and Schriever Space Scholars, as well as leading Guardian Education development efforts for USSF Space Delta 13. In that role, she led the establishment of ground-breaking USSF academic programs in Washington DC through Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Prior to that role, she served as Chair of the Department of Spacepower and Director of the Schriever Space Scholars concentration at Air Command and Staff College, where she was a Full Professor of Military and Security Studies. There she taught International Space Law and Policy, International Security, and Science Fiction & Military Culture. Before that Prof. Harrington served as the Associate Director of the Air and Space Law Programs at the University of Mississippi, where she taught International Space Law, US Domestic Space Law, International Private Air Law, US National Aviation Law, and Remote Sensing Law. She has been Associate Chair for the Policy, Economics, and Law Department for the International Space University’s 2018 Space Studies Program, Jr. Project Manager for Secure World Foundation, and researcher on projects for the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, the International Society for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the Space Security Index.

Prof. Harrington was an Erin J.C. Arsenault Fellow in Space Governance at the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL), where her doctoral research focused on insurance and liability issues for the commercial space industry. Prof. Harrington holds a DCL and LLM from the McGill IASL, as well as a JD with High Honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law, an MSc in European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in International Relations and History from Boston University (Magna Cum Laude). Prior to transitioning to air and space law, she was active in the insurance and financial compliance fields.

Deborah Housen-Couriel

Deborah is an expert legal practitioner and consultant in cybersecurity, outer space law, data protection, and cyber incident response. Formerly Chief Legal Officer and VP Regulation at Konfidas Digital, she is the founder and principal of Housen-Couriel Law Offices, a practice focusing on tailored compliance solutions for clients in Israel and internationally. Deborah also serves as an adjunct professor at Reichman University and Hebrew University’s Law Faculty, where she is on the Advisory Board of the Federmann Cyber Security Center. A member of the International Group of Experts that drafted Tallinn Manual 2.0, she also contributed as a Core Expert to the MILAMOS space law manual and serves as an editor on the Encyclopedia of Space Law. Deborah holds degrees from Harvard Kennedy School (MPA-MC), Hebrew University (LL.B., LL.M. cum laude), the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, and Wellesley College (summa cum laude). She is a qualified international arbitrator, registered with the Israel Chamber of Arbitrators. Her most recent areas of academic research include cyberspace and outer space information sharing between the private and public sectors; and the critical nexus of cybersecurity and national security.

Ram Jakhu

Dr. Ram Jakhu is currently a Professor (Post-Retirement) at the Faculty of Law, McGill University. Till 31 August 2024, he served as a tenured Full Professor at the Faculty of Law. Earlier he served as the Director of the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law and of the Centre for Research in Air and Space Law.

For over 40 years, he taught international space law, law of space applications, law of space commercialization, space safety and security, national regulation of space activities, law of telecommunications, and public international law. He contributed to the drafting and finalization of the Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities for the Permanent Court of Arbitration; made presentations at the United Nations and its Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space; participated in the drafting of Space Law Curriculum for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs; advised several countries in the preparation of national laws and policies; and convened and participated in numerous international interdisciplinary space law and policy related conferences and workshops around the world.

He is Project Director and Co-Editor of the McGill Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS or McGill Manual); Project Director and Editor-in-Chief of the McGill Encyclopedia of International Space Law. He is Co-Editor of the Space Regulatory Series, and member of the Editorial Boards of Space and Evolution, Annals of Air & Space Law, Astropolitics, and German Journal of Air & Space Law.

Professor Jakhu was a Member of the Global Agenda Council on Space of the World Economic Forum; the Governance Group of the Space Security Index; and Fellow as well as the Chairman of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety.

He co-authored three books, over 130 articles, 70 research reports and edited 13 books, including the one that received the 2011 Book Award from the International Academy of Astronautics.

He received in 2025 the “Silver Medal for Significant Contribution to Space Law” from the Cologne Law Institute of Air Law, Space Law and Cyber Law; in 2024 the “Life-Long Dedication to the IASL, the Advancement of Space Law and Education of the Next Generation” Award from the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law; in 2024 honorific titles of Director Emeritus of Institute of Air and Space Law as well as Professor Emeritus, McGill Faculty of Law; in 2022 the “Excellence in Supervision and Mentorship Award” from Graduate Law Student Association of the McGill Faculty of Law; in 2016 the “Leonardo da Vinci Life-Long Achievement Award” from the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety; and in 2007 the “Distinguished Service Award” from the International Institute of Space Law for significant contribution to the development of space law.

He holds Doctor of Civil Law (Dean’s Honours List) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from McGill University, Canada as well as LL.M., LL.B., and B.A. degrees from Panjab University, India.

Donna Lawler

Donna Lawler is a Co-Founder and Principal at Azimuth Advisory and is a member of the International Institute of Space Lawyers. She is an experienced commercial lawyer specialising in complex transactions in the space and telecommunications industries. For over twenty years in the satellite industry she has been an advisor to a range of commercial space organisations, including operators of cubesats, established operators of geo-stationary satellites and launch services providers. In particular, she has had key involvement in the build, launch and insurance programmes for six geo-stationary satellites on behalf of Optus and its parent company SingTel. These include the Optus C1 satellite, which is a hybrid civilian and military spacecraft, jointly owned by Optus and the Australian Defence Forces. Her involvement in space-related programmes has also included the sale and purchase of satellite capacity, securing the use of orbital slots, advising on risk, liability and insurance issues and negotiating other civilian and military satellite-related contracts. Prior to co-founding Azimuth Advisory, Donna served as Assistant General Counsel for Optus Satellite, an Australian satellite operator. She has also practiced technology and telecommunications law at Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong and Minter Ellison in Sydney.

Donna has published joint papers on Space Law topics internationally and has been a presenter on commercial Space Law topics in Australia (including the International Space University’s Southern Hemisphere Space Program), Austria, Canada, Denmark, South Africa, Taiwan and the United States.

Nishith Mishra

 

Smiling man with a beard and dark hairNishith Mishra is an independent space consultant working towards promoting the space business, including laws and regulations that govern the space activities of human beings. He works with various associations, entities and organizations in India, and internationally. He is a Member of the International Institute of Space Law, and has also previously worked as a Researcher in the field of international space law and policy at the Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL), Faculty of Law, McGill University, and its Centre for Research in Air and Space Law. At IASL, he continues to assist in various academic projects as well as international research initiatives and collaborations.

Having previously earned his LL.M. (Air and Space Law), he currently pursues a DCL (PhD) degree at IASL, McGill University. His academic accomplishments also include his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts, i.e. B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) degree from National Law University Delhi and certificates from the Indian Law Institute. Prior to specializing in the field of space business, law and policy, he has previously worked as a civil & commercial litigator, as a private-equity & foreign direct investment attorney and a cross-border M&A transactions’ lawyer in New Delhi, India.

His areas of interest, experience and expertise include (a) the space business, (b) international space law and policy, (c) legal regulation and policy relating to use of artificial intelligence systems (and technologies), (d) education pedagogy with AI enhancements, (e) sustainable development agendas and policies, and (f) humanitarian projects such as the ‘global conscious planet’ and ‘save soil’ initiatives, and he has published in his areas of interest and expertise.

Elina Morozova

Woman with blond hair and a white shirtDr. Elina Morozova is Executive Director at the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Moscow and bringing together Member States from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. She heads Intersputnik’s International and Legal Service and is responsible for relations with Member States and the United Nations system, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

Her expertise covers international space and telecommunications law, with a particular focus on the ITU regulatory framework governing the use of radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite orbits for space communications. Dr. Morozova is the Editor of the ITU-R Handbook on best practices for the sustainable use of frequencies and associated non-geostationary-satellite orbits by space radiocommunication services.

Dr. Morozova combines her institutional work with academic research and teaching. She teaches international space law and telecommunications law at St Petersburg University, has published on satellite communications and other aspects of space activities, and serves on editorial boards of academic journals. She has also contributed to the McGill Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS) as an Associate Editor, Core Expert and member of its Editorial Committee.

Dr. Morozova holds master’s degrees in International Law and World Economy from the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade and an LL.M. in International Business Law from the University of Manchester. She earned her Doctor of Juridical Sciences degree with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Her doctoral research examined the evolving role and responsibilities of notifying administrations within the ITU regulatory framework for space communications.

Victoria Samson

Victoria Samson is the Washington Office Director for Secure World Foundation and has over twenty-five years of experience in military space and security issues.

Before joining SWF, Ms. Samson served as a Senior Analyst for the Center for Defense Information (CDI), where she leveraged her expertise in missile defense, nuclear reductions, and space security issues to conduct in-depth analysis and media commentary. Prior to her time at CDI, Ms. Samson was the Senior Policy Associate at the Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers, a consortium of arms control groups in the Washington, D.C. area, where she worked with Congressional staffers, members of the media, embassy officials, citizens, and think-tanks on issues related to ballistic missile defense and nuclear weapons reduction. Before that, she was a researcher at Riverside Research Institute, where she worked on war-gaming scenarios for the Missile Defense Agency's Directorate of Intelligence.

Known throughout the space and security arena as a thought leader on policy and budgetary issues, Ms. Samson is often interviewed by multinational media outlets, including the New York Times, Space News, and NPR. She is also a prolific author of numerous op-eds, analytical pieces, journal articles, and updates on missile defense and space security matters. She is also a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) committee on space security and the Space Security Working Group of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)’s Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC).

Jessica West

Dr. Jessica West is a Senior Researcher at Project Ploughshares, Canada’s leading peace research institute. Her work examines the intersection of technology, security, and governance, with a focus on outer space. She engages regularly with United Nations bodies addressing space safety and security and contributes to multilateral policy processes. Jessica holds a PhD in global governance and international security from the Balsillie School of International Affairs.Dr. Jessica West is a Senior Researcher at Project Ploughshares, Canada’s leading peace research institute. Her work examines the intersection of technology, security, and governance, with a focus on outer space. She engages regularly with United Nations bodies addressing space safety and security and contributes to multilateral policy processes. Jessica holds a PhD in global governance and international security from the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

The opinions of the attending speakers are solely their personal view. They neither represent their country of nationality nor their institution.

 

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