Space Security

Dr Jana Robinson became Managing Director of the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) in April 2020. She also serves as PSSI’s Space Security Program Director, a post she assumed in 2015. She previously held the position of Space Policy Officer at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels as well as Space Security Advisor to the Czech Foreign Ministry.

From 2009 to 2013, Dr Robinson worked at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), seconded from the European Space Agency (ESA), leading the Institute’s Space Security Research Programme. Dr Robinson is an elected member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the George C. Marshall Missile Defense Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Dr Robinson holds a PhD in the field of space security from the Charles University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Studies and received two MA degrees from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and Palacky University in Olomouc, respectively.

Kristína Sikoraiová joined the Prague Security Studies Institute in February 2020 and has since contributed her expertise to the Space Security Program. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy, with a minor in Managerial Psychology and Sociology, earned at the Prague University of Economics and Business. Her Master’s thesis explored the field of cybersecurity in space, with a specific emphasis on EU–US cooperation. The research Ms Sikoraiová conducted for her undergraduate dissertation centered on how the People’s Republic of China is expanding its global influence through the space sector.

František Avrat is a Project Coordinator supporting the Space Security Program. Mr Avrat holds a bachelor’s degree in China Studies from Masaryk University and a master’s degree in Asia Pacific Studies from National Chengchi University in Taiwan, with a focus on Chinese sharp power in Czech–Sino relations. He also holds the Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree in Intelligence, Security and Strategic Studies. His main area of interest is space security, the role and tactics of the People’s Republic of China in the international system, and emerging disruptive technologies.

Kelig Chappuis is also a Project Coordinator for PSSI’s Space Security Program. He holds a BSc in Forensic Science and an International Master’s in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies. He wrote his master’s thesis on intelligence processes in peacekeeping operations, and specialises in OSINT data management and link analysis. He also served as a special forces communications officer in the Swiss Armed Forces.

Dr Jakub Pražák is a Research Fellow in the PSSI’s Space Security Program, which he joined as a Project Assistant in June 2018. Dr Pražák is the first graduate of the William P. Clark Ph.D. Scholarship in Space Security. His research focused primarily on space threats and offensive counterspace technology. Dr Pražák holds two Master’s degrees in Security Studies and International Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Charles University. Before joining PSSI, Dr Pražák was an intern at the Czech Ministry of Defence and at the National Cyber and Information Security Agency.

Patrik Martínek is a Project Coordinator at PSSI, mainly focusing on projects connected with space security. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy, and a Master’s degree in International Politics and Diplomacy from the Prague University of Economics and Business. He wrote his Bachelor’s dissertation on current trends in space security, and his Master’s dissertation focused on the topic of space traffic management.

Nico Mastrangelo, a student of PPE, is deeply curious about the world around him. In the context of his career, he has since spent time in various industries, including the Theater, Service, Communications, Journalism, and Research sectors. Currently, as a Project Coordinator at the prestigious Prague Security Studies Institute, Nico has had the wonderful privilege of assisting with various projects; while primarily working within the Economic and Financial Statecraft Program, he jumped at the opportunity to harness his previous skill sets to assemble this learning unit. He hopes you learn as much by listening to it, as he did making it!