SWF is pleased to announce the 2024 cohort of Space Sustainability Research Fellows, Samuele Alberti and Charlie JP Bennett. This year’s research fellows will investigate critical issues in space sustainability, including arms control in the context of space and planetary defense strategies.

Samuele Alberti holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and Astronautics from Politecnico di Milano. His research centers on planetary defense, with a specific focus on near-Earth object (NEO) deflection strategies. Currently employed at Leonardo Aerospace in Italy, Samuele brings significant expertise to his fellowship at SWF. His research will delve into the criteria for selecting asteroid deflection strategies, the role of space agencies in planetary defense, and the international coordination required for using nuclear devices in space.

Charlie JP Bennett is a visiting research fellow in space sustainability at Secure World Foundation, focusing on arms control in the context of space. He is a dual LL.M graduate in Public International Law and in European Law cum laude from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Charlie's research emphasizes European and EU space law, particularly its constitutional, defense, and security aspects. He joins SWF as a 2024 Space Sustainability Research Scholarship recipient from the Space Court Foundation, where he works as a Legal Research Officer in European Law.

Please refer to our initial announcement in June 2024 for more information on the 2024 Space Sustainability Research Fellowships, including the research questions that these Fellows aim to explore and answer.

The Secure World Foundation is excited to bring these Fellows' findings—comprising their full Reports and Executive Summaries—to a wider audience this fall.

Please contact SWF Space Law Advisor Christopher Johnson for more information.