Alissa J. Haddaji

About Alissa J. Haddaji

Adj Prof. Alissa J. Haddaji is the coordinator of the United Nations-mandated and International Academy of Astronautics-supported, STSC SMPAG Ad-Hoc Legal Working Group on Planetary Defense, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) representative at SMPAG and the Vice-Chair of the International Astronautical Federation\'s Near-Earth Object & Planetary Defense Committee. Haddaji is also the founder and director of The Space Consortium, a grassroots community initiative for Harvard & MIT Space Affiliates, of Space Week in Boston (formerly known as Space Week at Harvard – now extended to the greater Boston area) and of the Space Film Festival. In parallel, she is a faculty researcher and lecturer in space law, policy, ethics and sociology of space, specialized in International Space Threat Management (Planetary Protection/Planetary Defense). She created and taught Harvard’s and Harvard Law School’s Space Law, Policy and Ethics curriculum (20••••22), was a lecturer at the Harvard Astronomy Department (20••••22) and is the Faculty Advisor of the Harvard Law School\'s Space Law Society. She also launched and teaches Boston College Law School’s and Paris-Saclay University’s Space Law, Policy and Ethics courses (2022-present).Prior to her Planetary Defense work, Haddaji served for four years as COSPAR’s Planetary Protection project officer, where she led the coordination of, and co-authored the International Planetary Protection Handbook (IPPH). She was a senior researcher in space economics at Harvard Business School (2020), a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2018) and a visiting scholar at the GWU Space Policy Institute (2017).She is a member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and Women in Aerospace (WIA) association. She serves as the President of the Scientific Council of the science documentary production company \"Good to Know\", and as a Board Member of the Space Ethics non-profit \"JustSpace Alliance\".She holds a PhD in Science and Technology Studies, and Master’s Degrees in Planetary Science (spe. oceanography), History/International Relations, Political Science, Law and Socio-Anthropology, from Brown University, La Sorbonne University and Bordeaux 1 University. She defended her first PhD dedicated to International Natural Disaster Management applied to Planetary Defense in 2019 and is currently finishing her 2nd PhD at Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris on International Space Politics. Experience in Space Law, Policy & Ethics, STS, Space Oceanography, Planetary Science, Ethnography, Scientific Comm. & Outreach.

Experience

1. Associate Producer

   Good To Know Studio

   Dec 2022 — Present

Education

• Ecole normale supérieure

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Political Science and Government, Sociology and Ethnography

  2014 — 2021

• Brown University

  Master of Arts (MA), American Civilization, specialized in Science, Technology and Society

  2011 — 2012

• University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), World History

  2006 — 2009

• Harvard Kennedy School

  Visiting Fellow, Science and Technology Studies

  2017 — 2018

• The George Washington University

  Visiting Scholar, Space Policy

  2016 — 2017

• Arizona State University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology

  2014 — 2019

• Université de Bordeaux

  Master of Science - MS, Space Oceanography, specialized in Satellite Remote Sensing

  2014 — 2015

• International Space University

  SSP 2017, Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General

  2017

• Leiden University

  Master of Laws - LLM, Air and Space Operations Technology

  2016

• Rutgers University

  American History

  2010 — 2011

• University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne

  Master's degree, Political Science and Government, specialized in Public Affairs and Mediation Engineering

  2012 — 2014

• University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne

  Master of Arts (MA), American History and International Relations

  2009 — 2011