The Space Security Initiative (SSI) launched its first meeting, recruiting seven area specialists as Junior Fellows to cover the contemporary space-related policy trajectories of major powers around the world.
Dr. Saadia Pekkanen, Director of the SSI, introduced its objectives to the Junior Fellows at the meeting: to generate original thinking related to national and global challenges in outer space security by leveraging the unique perspectives and strategic location of young academics and professionals in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Pekkanen explained that SSI capitalizes on the growing number of public and private actors in space-related activities in the region. The rising status of the Pacific Northwest, and especially Washington State, represents a significant, untapped, and unique opportunity for fresh perspectives on local, national, and global policy debates on space security.
These Junior Fellows were chosen from among the Jackson School Ph.D. students for their substantive expertise in specific areas of the world where space policy is either established or on the rise. These areas include: China, Japan, India, Russia, Israel, South Korea, Europe, and the United States.
Over the course of the year, the Junior Fellows will be trained to write, present, and publish briefings to policy audiences on their individual areas of expertise. With their unique area-based know-how, the Junior Fellows will aim to increase the sum of policy knowledge about existing and especially rising space powers in a way that is accessible to space stakeholders in government, businesses, and think-tanks worldwide. Under the auspices of the IPI, each fellow will be publishing his or her piece as part of the SSI series on Space policy of Major Powers.
Part of their training will be carried out by the Principal Senior Fellow for SSI, Dr. Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen, who is an affiliated professor at the Jackson School and a Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East. Muyang Chen, PhD candidate at the Jackson School and Principal Junior Fellow for SSI will be coordinating all activities and networks going forward.
The lineup of the Senior and Junior Fellows in the SSI is as follows:
Saadia M. Pekkanen directs the Space Security Initiative (SSI). At the Jackson School, she is the Associate Director, the Founding Director of the Ph.D. Program, and the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Professor. Her graduate work includes a Master’s from Columbia University and Yale Law School, and a doctorate from Harvard University. She works on the international relations of Japan and Asia, with a special interest in outer space governance, security, and policy. Her latest books include In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy (Stanford University Press, 2010); The Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (Oxford University Press 2014); and Asian Designs: Governance in the Contemporary World Order (forthcoming Cornell University Press). She writes a monthly column for Forbes on these themes at http://www.forbes.com/sites/saadiampekkanen/#64002f093a0d.
Krisitan Coates Ulrichsen is the Principal Senior Fellow for SSI, and plays a leading role in training the Junior Fellows for SSI. Dr. Ulrichsen is an affiliate professor at the Jackson School of International Studies and a Baker Institute Fellow for the Middle East. Working across the disciplines of political science, international relations and international political economy, his research examines the changing position of Persian Gulf states in the global order, as well as the emergence of longer-term, nonmilitary challenges to regional security. Previously, he worked as senior Gulf analyst at the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies between 2006 and 2008 and as co-director of the Kuwait Program on Development, Governance and Globalization in the Gulf States at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 2008 until 2013.
Muyang Chen, PhD Candidate and a China specialist, is the Principal Junior Fellow for SSI. In addition to covering China’s space policy, she will be coordinating all activities and networks of the SSI. Her research interests include East Asia, state-market relations, development banking, and industrial policy. Muyang has an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Deep Pal, PhD student and an India specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. He will be covering India’s space policy. His research interests include Indian foreign and security policy, Sino-Indian relations, and Indo-U.S. relations. Deep has an M.A. from George Washington University.
Seonhee Kim, PhD candidate and a Russia specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. She will be covering Russia’s space policy and also co-authoring a policy brief on South Korea with Clint Work. Her research interests are in state-society relationships in Russia. Seonhee has an M.A. from Seoul National University.
Joshua A. Williams, PhD candidate and a Japan specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. He will be covering Japan’s space policy. His research interests include Japanese politics and online political communication. Josh has an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Oded Oron, PhD candidate and an Israel specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. He will be covering Israel’s space policy. His research Interests include state-society relations and the mobilization of irregular migrants. Oded has an M.A. from Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Indra Ekmanis, PhD Candidate and a Baltic Specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. She will be covering the space policy of the European Union. Her research interests include integration in post-Communist states and minority participation. Indra has an M.A. from the University of Washington.
Clint Work, PhD candidate and a Korea specialist, is a Junior Fellow for SSI. He will be covering the space policy of the United States and also co-authoring a policy brief on South Korea with Seonhee Kim. His research interests include East Asian security, and inter-Korean relations. Clint has an M.A. from the University of Chicago.
