Our Future in Space

Flinders University partners with the space sector in education, research and development. We're proud to be home to Australia’s largest group of space law and policy experts.

In a world where private space companies are innovating a rate that prompts government counterparts to accelerate their own activity, space law and policy is of increasing importance.

At Flinders University, we've brought together Australia's largest group of space law and policy experts: a team who will address the complex challenges that continue to unravel as humankind pushes beyond the boundaries of earth. 
 

Rodrigo Praino

Associate Professor in Politics and Public Policy

To accurately identify Australia’s position within this crowded and highly competitive international arena, Associate Professor Rodrigo Praino has been building a Space Power Index for the Australian Department of Defence – a world-first framework to measure and determine how effectively different countries engage in space programs. Forming part of a SmartSat CRC project, he is also researching the cybersecurity of space assets in partnership with Adelaide cybersecurity company CyberOps.

Learn about the Space Power and Policy Applied Research Consortium.
 

Alice Gorman

Associate Professor in Space Archaeology

Dr Alice Gorman is an internationally recognised leader in the field of space archaeology. Her research on space exploration has been featured in National Geographic, New Scientist, and Archaeology magazine. She is a faculty member of the International Space University's Southern Hemisphere Space Program in Adelaide. Her book Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future (New South Publishing, MIT Press, 2019) won the NIB Award People's Choice and the John Mulvaney Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the NSW and Queensland Premier's Awards and the Adelaide Festival Awards.
 

Stacey Henderson

Senior Lecturer in Law

Dr Stacey Henderson’s research focuses on the protective capacity of law, including international law generally, responsibility of States, and governance of outer space and space technology. Dr Henderson’s current research focuses on commercial space activities and sustained human presence in space. Dr Henderson is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, Secretary and Council Member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law, and a Director of the Space Law Council of Australia and New Zealand.
 

Kathryn Robison Hasani

Lecturer and Political Scientist in Space Policy

Dr Robison specialises in the role of political communication in the formation and dissemination of space policy at both the domestic and international level. Dr Robison also has expertise in the areas of political behaviour, public opinion, and science communication.

Dr Robison taught courses in political science and humanities across several institutions in the United States and is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Her current research interests include public opinion on government spending on space, legislative processes which affect national and international space policies, and equitable and just access to space and space resources. She is one of only a handful of political scientists in Australia specialising in space policy.
 

Joel Lisk

Research Associate in Space and Regulation

Mr Joel Lisk researches the laws applicable to private and commercial activities in new operating domains with a particular focus on the use of outer space. Joel’s research specifically focuses on how domestic laws are designed and their consequential impacts on commercial activities. Joel is a qualified lawyer, having previously worked in the areas of consumer and competition law, privacy and data, not-for-profits, and complex regulatory regimes. Joel continues to provide advice in these areas. Joel is also the Secretary of the Space Law Council of Australia and New Zealand.
 

Vinícius Guedes G. de Oliveira

PhD Candidate and Research Associate in Space Law and Politics

Vinícius Guedes is a lawyer specialised in International Law, graduated with a first-class honours’ degree from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Brazil), he is a PhD candidate and scholarship holder co-funded by SmartSat CRC and Flinders University developing a doctoral project regarding Space Law and Space Policy and the relation between Australia and the United States in the context of the Artemis mission. He is also currently working as a Research Associate at Flinders University on projects mainly involving Defence and the Cybersecurity of space assets and their interaction with the Australian domestic legal and policy framework.
 

Contact our space law and policy experts.