Space law, space policy, space security, comparative criminal law, comparative law, public international law

Dr. Cassandra Steer is Deputy Director of the Australian National University Institute for Space (InSpace), with a focus on Mission Specialists. Globally recognised for her expertise in space governance, space law, and space security, she has published widely on these topics, including the application of the law of armed conflict and use of force in outer space. She has consulted to the Australian, Canadian and U.S Departments of Defence, the Australian Space Agency and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on these issues. She has taught space law and space security at McGill university, the ANU College of Law, the National Security College and the Australian Defence College.

Dr Steer is co-founder of the Australian Centre for Space Governance (ACGS), which brings together experts in space law, space policy, space history, space ethics, space security, space property, and political and social sciences applied to space, from seven different universities. She has represented the ACSG at the UN, and brokered research, education and policy contracts on behalf of the ACSG with the ACT Government, the Australian Space Agency, the Department of Defence, DFAT, Geoscience Australia, and some Australian law firms.

She has formerly held positions as Senior Lecturer at the ANU College of Law, Acting Executive Director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Ethics and Rule of Law, Executive Director of Women in International Security - Canada, Executive Director of the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law, and Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam.

Dr Steer is multilingual, and has lived and worked in five countries across four continents. She has degrees in philosophy, civil law, international law, international criminal law, and training in common law, comparative law and space law, and was a Flubright Scholar in 2011. Dr. Steer is a member of the Australian Space Agency's Technical Advisory Group for Space Situational Awareness, a member of the Space Traffic Management Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics, and a member of the International Institute of Space Law.