Dr Cassandra Steer
Areas of expertise
- Comparative Law 180106
- International Law (Excl. International Trade Law) 180116
- Other Law And Legal Studies 1899
- Comparative Government And Politics 160603
- International Relations 440808
Research interests
- Space governance
- space law
- space policy
- space security
- comparative criminal law
- comparative law
- public international law
- international humanitarian law/law of armed conflict
- comparative politics
- women, peace and security (WPS)
Biography
Dr. Cassandra Steer is Deputy Director - Mission Specialists, of the Australian National University Institute for Space (InSpace). She is also Chair and founder of the Australian Centre for Space Governance. 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, and teh case for diversity in the space sector. 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 leads 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 six 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.
Publications
- Steer, C 2023, 'Outer Space', in Paul D. Williams and Matt McDonald (ed.), Security Studies: An Introduction, Routledge, New York, pp. 1-18.
- Steer, C & Leprince, C, eds, 2021, Women, Peace and Security, McGill-Queen's University Press, canada.
- Steer, C & Hersch, M, eds, 2021, War and Peace in Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Ethics, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Leprince, C & Steer, C 2021, 'Introduction: Bringing Feminist Perspectives to the Forefront of International Security Studies', in Caroline Leprince and Cassandra Steer (ed.), Women, Peace, and Security: Feminist Perspectives on International Security, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 3-18.
- Steer, C 2021, 'Conclusion', in Caroline Leprince and Cassandra Steer (ed.), Women, Peace, and Security: Feminist Perspectives on International Security, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 210-216.
- Steer, C 2021, '"The Province of all Humankind": A Feminist Analysis of Space Law', in Melissa de Zwart and Stacey Henderson (ed.s), 'Commercial and Military Uses of Outer Space', Springer Singapore, Singapore, pp. 169-188.
- Hersch, M & Steer, C 2020, 'Introduction: Why Space Law Matters in War and Peace', in Cassandra Steer and Matthew Hersch (ed.), War and Peace in Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Ethics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 1-20.
- Steer, C & Hersch, M 2020, 'Conclusion: Cooperation, Collaboration, and Communication in Space', in Cassandra Steer and Matthew Hersch (ed.), War and Peace in Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Ethics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 301-308.
- Steer, C & Stephens, D 2020, 'International Humanitarian Law and Its Application in Outer Space ', in Cassandra Steer and Matthew Hersch (ed.), War and Peace in Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Ethics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 23-54.
- Steer, C 2020, 'Why Outer Space Matters for National and International Security', ANU College of Law Legal Studies Research Paper Series, vol. 20, no. 25, pp. 1-37.
- Steer, C 2019, 'Who Has the Power? A Critical Perspective on Space Governance and New Entrants to the Space Sector', Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 751-760.
- Doucet, G & Steer, C 2018, 'THE USE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY EXPORT CONTROLS AS A BARGAINING SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: A CHICAGO CONVENTION MODEL OF SPACE GOVERNANCE ', Annual Institute of Space Law Colloquium, ed. Kai-Uwe Schrogl , International Institute of Space Law, Paris, p. 11.
- Steer, C 2017, Translating Guilt: Identifying Leadership Liability for Mass Atrocity Crimes, T.M.C. Asser Press, New York.
- Jakhu, R, Steer, C & Chen, K 2017, 'Conflicts in Space and the Rule of Law', German Journal of Air and Space Law, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 657-692.
- Steer, C 2017, 'Global commons, cosmic commons: Implications of military and security uses of outer space', Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 9-16.
- Steer, C 2016, 'Sources and law-making processes relating to space activities', in Ram S. Jakhu , Paul Stephen Dempsey (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Space Law , Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, canada, pp. 3-24.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- SPACEXX121 - D&I Statement Proposal (Secondary Investigator)
- National Space Mission for Earth Observation: Earth Observation Data Quality (Primary Investigator)
- OzFuel study in support of GA Satellite Cross-Calibration Radiometer program (Secondary Investigator)