MEET OUR TEAM
Dr. P.J. Blount (Ph.D., Global Affairs, Rutgers University, 2016; M.S., Global Affairs, Rutgers University, 2015; LL.M., Public International Law, King’s College London, 2007; J.D., University of Mississippi School of Law, 2006; B.A./A.B.J., University of Georgia, 2002) is a Postdoctoral Researcher in space and communication law at the University of Luxembourg. He has also served as an adjunct professor in the LL.M. in the Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law and in the Department of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University. In Fall of 2017, he was a Visiting Scholar at the Beijing Institute of Technology School of Law. Blount’s primary research areas are legal issues related to space security and cyberspace governance. He has published and presented widely on the topic of space security law and has given expert testimony on space traffic management before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Space. Blount serves as the co-editor-in-chief of the Proceedings of the IISL, and he was formerly the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Space Law. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Space Law and a member of the State Bar of Georgia in the United States.
Bryan Culbert is currently a communications consultant working with companies such as Premier Aircraft Sales and Service where he served as a communications director from 2019 to 2020. Bryan is passionate about aviation and space and telling the stories of the skilled professionals working in the industries. During his 20-plus years in the communications field, Bryan has developed integrated communication campaigns for many military and commercial aircraft programs. At Premier, he was responsible for global marketing, brand management and media relations. Prior to joining Premier Aircraft, Bryan served in communication leadership roles at Made In Space, Northrop Grumman and Allstate Insurance. Bryan earned a master’s degree in communications from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas of Arlington. He’s also supported government and legal entities as well as nonprofits with strategic communications, including Members of Congress from Texas and on a U.S. presidential campaign. He is a member of the Florida Public Relations Association and also serves as a communications advisor to Enterprise in Space, a nonprofit working to inform youth about the benefits of careers in space and engineering.
Michael S. Dodge currently serves as an Assistant Professor & Graduate Program Director in the Department of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota. Prof. Dodge received his LL.M. degree in Aviation & Space Law from McGill University in the Fall of 2011 (thesis: “Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and the GPS-Galileo Agreement”). Before attending McGill, he obtained his J.D. in 2008 from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he was also the first recipient of the Certificate in Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law. He obtained dual degrees in B.S. (Biological Sciences) and B.A. (Philosophy) in 2005, from the University of Southern Mississippi. Prof. Dodge teaches several courses for Space Studies, including Space Politics and Policy (SpSt 560), Space Law (SpSt 565), and Remote Sensing Law and Policy (SpSt 575). These courses include a multitude of historical, political, and legal facets to space activities, and cover subjects such as legal issues in space exploration; regulation, privacy law, and Constitutional concerns surrounding the use of remote sensing technology; licensing and regulatory requirements for space activity; the historical and evolutionary nature of space policy (both nationally and internationally); public international law; and domestic United States legal governance of space activity. Prof. Dodge’s research has included GNSS law, remote sensing law & regulation, environmental regulation of outer space, concepts of sovereignty and ownership rights in space, and the nexus of remote sensing technology with global humanitarian law and disaster relief law. Future studies include examination of future environmental regulatory structures for orbital space, as well as domestic United States legislation and its relationship with the precept of non-appropriation in outer space, including an analysis of the ownership of celestial resources from potential asteroid mining operations.
Thomas Gangale has a BS in aerospace engineering, an MA in international relations, and a JSD in space, cyber, and telecommunications law. As a US Air Force officer, he provided contract and technical management on the Gambit and Hexagon satellite programs as well as for payloads on the STS-4 and STS-39 missions. He has written technical papers pertaining to human missions to Mars, and articles on the use of time maps for use in project management and space history. He has also written law journal articles refuting the technical bases for the Bogota Declaration and the von Karman line, as well as asserting the legality of extraterrestrial resource extraction for profit. He is the author of four published books.
Mr. Johnson is the Space Law Advisor at the Secure World Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that works with governments, industry, international organizations, and civil society to develop and promote ideas and actions for the peaceful and sustainable uses of outer space. As the resident legal expert at Secure World, he engages with stakeholders including governments, international organizations, space agencies, private industry, academia, civil society, and the media. Mr. Johnson is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, and an Adjunct Faculty member of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Mr. Johnson is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C. and the State of New York, and is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales.
Elsbeth Magilton is the Executive Director for Technology, Security, and Space Law Initiatives for the University of Nebraska College of Law where she oversees the development, growth, and operations of the new Nebraska Governance and Technology Center and the Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law program, established in 2008. Her current focus areas include space law and policy, cybersecurity, and national security. Elsbeth is the law college’s principal researcher for projects serving the U.S. Strategic Command’s University Affiliated Research Center – the only such center in the Department of Defense to include a law school in their research partnerships.
Dr. Anne-Sophie Martin is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in International Law and Space Law at Sapienza University of Rome. She received her LL.M. in Space Law and Telecommunications Law from the University of Paris-Sud XI (France) and her Ph.D. from Sapienza University of Rome (Italy).
Between 2016 and 2019, she was an observer within The Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group (the Netherlands). On August 2017, she attended the Centre for Studies and Research of The Hague Academy of International Law (the Netherlands). In 2017 and 2018, she was a Faculty Advisor Assistant for the Sapienza Team during the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. She is part of the Legal Advisory Council of ‘For All Moonkind’ and she is also a visiting researcher within the Centre for a Spacefaring Civilization (UK). She previously worked at Thales Alenia Space, the French Space Agency (CNES), and at the European Commission.
She is a Member of the International Institute of Space Law, Space Generation Advisory Council, European Centre of Space Law, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Institute of Space and Telecommunications Law (IDEST), and French Society of Air and Space Law.
Tanja Masson-Zwaan is Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University, and President Emerita of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). She is adjunct faculty at International Space University (ISU).Tanja advises the Dutch Government on space law issues and was co-founder of the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group.She is an elected member of various professional associations, like the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Law Association, and is a Board member of several organizations, including Space Generation Advisory Council, the ASU Interplanetary Initiative and Uarx Space. She was a Member of the Founding Boards of the European Centre for Space Law and of Women in Aerospace Europe.Tanja received several awards, is a Member of Honour of the Netherlands Space Society, and in 2020 she received a Royal decoration for her work in the field of space law.
Zach is an attorney at Chaffe McCall LLP in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he practices appellate & trial litigation and specializes in legal services for space and aviation clients.
Prior to joining Chaffe McCall, Zach served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Judge Shelly D. Dick at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Zach earned his J.D. degree from Louisiana State University Law Center in 2019, where he served on the Board of Advocates and the Journal of Energy Law and Resources. Zach’s space law publications and research interests involve space settlement questions and U.S. litigation issues posed by developing space activities.
During law school, Zach interned for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he drafted a memorandum on domestic and international legal mechanisms for protecting and preserving the Apollo lunar landing sites. His work influenced a report issued to Congress pursuant to the 2018 NASA Authorization Act. Zach also interned for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in the International Affairs division and served as a law clerk for the Louisiana Solicitor General, where he aided attorneys with litigation before state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Zach was a member of the first team from LSU Law to compete in the Manfred Lachs International Space Law Moot Court Competition. He and his teammate won the North American regional championship as well as Best New Team and competed in Bremen, Germany in the World Finals. Zach was one of ten students inducted into the Order of the Barristers due to his success in LSU Law’s advocacy programs. He now coaches the LSU Law team for the Lachs competition each year.
Christopher J. Newman is Professor of Space Law and Policy at Northumbria University, the United Kindgom. He was previously Reader in Law at the University of Sunderland. He has been active in the teaching and research of space law for a number of years and has worked with academics from other disciplines examining the legal, political, and ethical aspects of space exploration. Newman has made numerous appearances on British radio and television in relation to space law matters. He is a full member of the International Institute of Space Law and is also a member of the European Centre for Space Law.
Anja is a PhD candidate at the University of Cologne, writing her thesis in space law on the topic “Exploring legal mechanisms for the development of new space law binding norms – transcending the stalemate”. In addition, since December 2017 she is the Project Manager for a European Space Agency (ESA)/Cologne University joint project: “ESA Convention Commentary”. Her tasks encompass scientific research, organization of the project milestones and supervision of the whole writing and reviewing process. Prior to that, from 2014 to 2016, she was an External Consultant of the European Space Policy Institute, Vienna, Austria. From 2009 until 2014 she studied at the Law Faculty, University of Vienna, where she specialized in international law with the main focus on international space law. Subsequently, she continued to conduct space legal research and participated as a speaker in several international Conferences and published various articles in esteemed journals, chapters in books and her first edited book “Promoting Productive Cooperation between Space Lawyers and Engineers” by IGY Global. Furthermore, she founded “Serbian Case for Space Foundation” in Belgrade, Serbia with the aim to engage Serbia in the space domain.
Luke Amadeus Ranieri is a content creator, specializing in Latin and Ancient Greek, but has loved everything space since his earliest boyhood years. From classic science fiction like Star Trek, to NASA missions to the outer planets, Luke has followed it all with deep passion. He studied geological sciences while doing research on Mars geology, and is also a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot in the New York Army National Guard.
He makes content exclusively in Latin and Ancient Greek on his YouTube channel ScorpioMartianus (youtube.com/ScorpioMartianus)
Alice Rivière is admitted as an attorney-at-law in the State of New York and as avocat à la cour in Paris. She works in the Legal and Compliance Department of Airbus Defence and Space in Munich, Germany. She previously practiced in the field of international dispute settlement in Switzerland. She holds an LL.M. in International Law from the University of Miami, a Master’s degree in International Economic Law from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne/ Columbia Law School/Sciences Po Paris, a Maîtrise en droit from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, and an LL.M./Magister legum from Universität zu Köln.
Rebekah Rounds is a Maryland and California-licensed attorney whose principal practice focuses on domestic and international space law and policy. Before graduating with her J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law in 2014, Rebekah served as a legal fellow for the then-Chairman of the Space Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Steven Palazzo. Under Chairman Palazzo, Rebekah researched international and domestic space law, space law issues related to Federal Acquisition Regulations and Space Act Agreements, and various legal issues pertaining to NASA Reauthorization, commercial space policy, and liability and indemnity regimes for private space launch actors. In 2017 Rebekah published her paper “The Intersection of U.S. Space Policy Goals and National Security Needs: An Argument for a Regulatory Regime Oversight Commission That Balances Space-Related Policy Interests” in the Journal of Space Law. In 2018 she graduated with her LL.M. in Air and Space Law from the University of Mississippi. Rebekah is a Member of the Board of Directors at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in North Carolina. She serves on the Space Committee of the ABA’s Forum of Air and Space.
Ruvimbo Samanga is a Space Law & Policy Analyst specializing in the African Space & Satellite Industry. Her primary focus includes Geographic Information Systems & Statistical Information for Sustainable Development, and Human & Robotic Space Exploration for Emerging Space Nations. Her research work stems from her desire to see youth participation in the development of the space sector in Africa, and and accordingly she is involved in a number of capacity-building initiatives in policy innovation, entrepreneurship, education and outreach. She hopes to contribute to the greater interpretative methodology of international space and satellite laws.
Charles Stotler is the Associate Director of the University of Mississippi School of Law Program in Air and Space Law. He teaches courses on air and space law, serves as faculty advisor for theses and for student participation in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, and provides editorial assistance to the Journal of Space Law. Charles also supports the work of Aviation Advocacy, a Swiss-based consultancy. He focusses on technologies that push policy and regulatory boundaries, such as unmanned aircraft systems, airspace integration and use of space applications in the air transport industry. He advises clients on compliance issues and regularly contributes to industry trade publications. Charles holds a Master of Laws in Air and Space Law from McGill University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he studied both common and civil law systems and earned a Certificate of International Legal Studies. He was called to the California bar in 2010 and New York bar in 2011.
Prof. Mark J. Sundahl is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Global Space Law Center at Cleveland State University. Prof. Sundahl is an expert on the law of outer space and focuses primarily on the business, legal, and policy issues arising from the increase in private space activity. He is currently a member of NASA’s Regulatory and Policy Committee which is charged with advising the NASA Advisory Committee on regulatory reform. He has formerly served on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) which advises the Federal Aviation Administration regarding new regulations governing private space activity. He was also a member of the Hague Working Group on the Governance of Space Resources and an advisor to the U.S. delegation to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.</div
Steph Tai is a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, working on the intersections between environmental, food, and health sciences and administrative law. Steph has a chemistry background (MIT undergraduate, Tufts University Ph.D.) and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to teaching at Wisconsin, they worked as editor-in-chief of the International Review for Environmental Strategies, a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald Lee Gilman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, an appellate attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, an adjunct law professor at Georgetown, and a visiting law professor at Washington and Lee. While at the U.S. Department of Justice, Steph was the primary appellate attorney for Nemitz v. United States, a takings challenge regarding an asteroid. Steph also actively represents amici in federal circuit court and Supreme Court cases, including Massachusetts v. EPA and County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund. From 2013-2014, Professor Tai served as a Supreme Court Fellow as a researcher in the Federal Judicial Center.