Dr. Deganit Paikowsky 

Chairperson, The 13th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, Tel Aviv University

Dr. Deganit Paikowsky is an expert on International Relations with a unique focus, and first- hand experience, in space policy and strategy. Over a period of 15 years, Dr. Paikowsky developed a comprehensive understanding of current and future trends of global space activity. Her newly released book, "The Power of the Space Club", was published by Cambridge University Press. Dr. Paikowsky is a Non-resident Scholar at the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School for Foreign Affairs, George Washington University and was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University for two years. As a Ph.D. candidate, she won the Guggenheim Pre-Doctoral Fellowship of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institute, and was a Visiting Scholar at the GW Space Policy Institute. Deganit was part of the establishment team of and later Academic Director for the Yuval Neeman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security at Tel Aviv University where she developed the research portfolio. In 2013, Dr. Paikowsky became a Senior Researcher and established two excellence centers on global space activity and global cyber activity, which support governmental decision making process in these areas. From 2012 - 2016, Dr. Paikowsky served as the coordinator of the Space Committee of the Israel National Council for Research and Development, which operates under the auspice of the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 2016, Deganit was invited to serve as a lecturer at the prestigious Summer Program of the International Space University. Deganit is a Fellow of the 2017-2018 International Women's Forum Leadership Foundation Program.