K. Khorasani received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Eletrical and Computer Engineering all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1981, 1982, and 1985, respectively.

From 1985 to 1988 he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan at Dearborn and since 1988 he has been with Concorida University where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

His current research interests are in stability theory, control of large-scale systems, nonlinear control, adaptive control, modeling and control of flexible-link and joint manipulators, and theory and applications of neural networks.

Links:

• Security-Policy Nexus of Emerging Technology website

Dr Bastian Giegerich is the Director of Defence and Military Analysis at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Bastian leads the research team that produces the IISS annual flagship publication The Military Balance, oversees the development of the Military Balance+ online database, and contributes to research and consultancy work for government and the private sector. From 2010–15 Bastian worked for the German Federal Ministry of Defence in research and policy roles, while also serving as the IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for European Security. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Links:

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance

Dr. Bessma Momani is Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. She is also a Senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI), and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C. She was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at both the Brookings Institution and Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., a consultant to the International Monetary Fund, and formerly a visiting scholar at Georgetown University's Mortara Center. She was a 2015 Fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and now sits on its board of directors. She is also a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Momani currently sits on the National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG) to advise the Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada and other Government officials on improving transparency to Canada's national security and intelligence departments and agencies.

She has authored and co-edited ten books and over 80 scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters that have examined international affairs, diversity and inclusion, Middle East affairs, and the global economy.  She is recipient of a number of research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), International Development Research Council, and the Department of National Defence. Dr. Momani is a regular contributor to national and international media on global security and economic policy issues. She has written editorials for the New York Times, The Economist, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Newsweek, and Time Magazine. 

Dr. Linna Tam-Seto is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for International and Defence Policy. She has previously completed a PDF within the Health Studies and Policy Research Institute at Queen’s University supporting the development of the #Here4U Military Version, a mental health app for members of the military community. Linna holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science and is a registered occupational therapist with extensive experience in the areas of children and adolescent mental health and professional practice for health care providers. She is also Adjunct Faculty in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University and Contractual Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College. Linna’s research interests include understanding the health and well-being of Canada’s military members, veterans, public safety personnel and their families during life transitions and changes, with a particular focus on the experiences of servicewomen and women Veterans. 

Brig. Gen. Pete M. Fesler is the Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. As the Deputy Director, he is responsible for supporting the execution of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America to include the Canadian, Alaskan and continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Regions within the bi-national command. Brig. Gen. Fesler graduated in 1994 from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and earned his commission through ROTC that same year. Brig. Gen. Fesler is a graduate of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and is a Distinguished Graduate of both the Naval Postgraduate School and National War College.

LCol Phillips is a Canadian Artillery Officer who graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in 2004. Upon commissioning, she was assigned to the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, and the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School (RCAS), where she completed various tours of duty including Troop Commander, Adjutant, and Battery Commander. Her staff assignments include Staff Officer to the Combat Training Centre Commander in 2005, Instructor at the RCAS from 2011-2013, Senior Instructor at the Western Hemisphere Instiute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in Fort Benning, U.S. from 2016-2018, and Staff Officer to the Commander of the Canadian Army 2019-2020. In Operations, she commanded an artillery troop in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as part of Task Force 1-07 of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). She deployed domestically to support the G-8 Summit in 2010. This is her first deployment with the United Nations.

Maj-Gen Craig Aitchison joined the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve) in January 1985 then transferred to the Regular Force through the Regular Officer Training Plan in 1987. He attended the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He completed his Infantry Phase training and was badged into The Royal Canadian Regiment where he served in a variety of command and staff positions over three regimental tours with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions. He deployed three times with The Regiment to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia: once on Operation CAVALIER and twice on Operation PALLADIUM. He deployed to Afghanistan on Operation ATHENA where he served for nine months as the Current Operations Officer at Headquarters Regional Command (South) in Kandahar. Major-General Aitchison served extra-regimentally at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School in Chilliwack, British Columbia, the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, and the Tactics School in Oromocto, New Brunswick.

He has commanded at each level up to and including a Formation at Base Gagetown. In 1991, he was a Platoon Commander and in 2003 a Company Commander at 2 RCR. From 2009 to 2011 he commanded the Infantry School and in July 2015 he took command of the Combat Training Centre. On promotion to Brigadier-General in August of 2017, he deployed to Iraq as the Chief of Staff for the Combined/Joint Forces Land Component Command, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Upon redeployment from Iraq he assumed the position of Deputy Commanding General for Operations at United States Army Alaska at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson. Major-General Aitchison was promoted to his present rank in June of 2020 and assumed command of the Canadian Defence Academy in August of that year.

Major-General Aitchison holds master’s degrees in Defense Studies from Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Kingston, as well as Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a graduate of the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the Joint Command and Staff Programme at the Canadian Forces College, and the Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship at the School of Advanced Military Studies in the United States. There, in his second year, he was a seminar leader, teaching operational art to a group of bright, motivated majors. In May of 2013, upon completion of his time in Kansas he was posted to Ottawa, Ontario as Director of Army Staff and Director of Infantry. 

Dr. Philippe Beaulieu-Brossard is currently a Marie S. Curie Fellow at the Centre for Military Studies, University of Copenhagen and an assistant professor leading the Design & Innovation curriculum at Canadian Forces College (CFC) (on leave). Philippe is the co-founder of Innovation Methodologies for Defence Challenges (IMDC), the leading global annual convention gathering military designers, instructors, and researchers from around the world since 2016. In 2017, Philippe released the Archipelago of Design project aimed at making available the experiences of defence practitioners with new planning and innovation methodologies and co-led the publication of a first special issue including the articles of 16 defence practitioners published by the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies (JMSS). As a Marie S. Curie fellow, Philippe will pursue military design & innovation education projects including co-designing a tablet application and complete a book developing a sociology of military design across NATO allies and partners. Philippe holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St-Andrews in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Philippe Dufort is an assistant professor at the School of Conflict Studies and the founding director of the School of Social Innovation at Saint Paul University, Ottawa. He studies the epistemological roots of strategic innovation with a special interest in intrinsic reflexive practices of military practitioners. He holds a PhD from the department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) of the University of Cambridge, UK. He is an associate researcher at the Colombian Superior School of War. He acted as an Associate Editor at the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (CRIA) from 2009 to 2013. Apart from his experience in academic research, he has previously worked as a journalist in Latin America, a Human Rights watcher in conflict zones, and as a contractual analyst for the Canadian Mission toward the European Union in Brussels.

Maggie Feldman-Piltch is the Founder and CEO of Unicorn Strategies, an innovative human capital management widely known for its project, #NatSecGirlSquad. #NatSecGirlSquad is an intentional community and ecosystem focused on building competent diversity in national security and defense. As of July 2020, #NatSecGirlSquad interacts with more than 40,000 people across the apparatus each month. Unicorn Strategies is an AFWERX Innovation Challenge Finalist for its work.

Dr. Evan Resnick is Assistant Professor at RSIS, a Graduate School of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests lie at the intersection of International Relations theory, international security studies, and US foreign policy. Dr Resnick’s published work has appeared in a number of academic journals, including International Security, Security Studies, and Journal of Strategic Studies.

Ambassador Jacqueline O’Neill was appointed as Canada’s first Ambassador for Women, Peace, and security. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Previously, she supported policy frameworks and strategies for NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe as well as for the UN. She advised the Canadian Government from 2011-2017 on national action plans for women, peace and security initiatives.

Brigadier-General Lise Bourgon joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1987 and received her pilot wings following graduation from College Militaire Royal de St-Jean in 1992. As a helicopter pilot, she was assigned to 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron in Shearwater, Nova Scotia where she deployed on numerous Royal Canadian Navy deployments. She also served as an instructor with 406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron (OTS). Operational tours included Detachment Commander on HMCS Montreal during a 6 month tour and the Joint Task Force (JTF) Commander for OP IMPACT, the first Canadian female to serve in that position.

Dr. Lynne Gouliquer is Co-Director of the P-SEC Research Group and Associate Professor of Sociology at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario.

Dr. Carmen Poulin is Co-Director of the P-SEC Research Group and Associate Dean for the Faculty of Arts; Professor of Psychology and Gender & Women's Studies at University of New Brunswick, Fredericton

Luke Schleusener is president and co-founder of Out in National Security and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He served as a speechwriter to Former Defense Secretaries Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, and Ash Carter.

Dr. Lynne Gouliquer is Co-Director of the P-SEC Research Group and Associate Professor of Sociology at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario.

Dr. Carmen Poulin is Co-Director of the P-SEC Research Group and Associate Dean for the Faculty of Arts; Professor of Psychology and Gender & Women's Studies at University of New Brunswick, Fredericton

Dr. Jessica Trisko Darden is an Assistant Professor at American University's School of International Service and recipient of the 2020 SIS Outstanding Scholarship Award for Faculty. She is also a Non-resident Fellow at the George Washington University's Program on Extremism. From 2017-2019, she was an inaugural Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Trisko Darden was a Visiting Scholar with Yale University's Program on Order, Conflict and Violence.

Dr. Jeffrey F. Collins earned a PhD in political science from Carleton University in 2018. He also holds a MA in strategic studies (Birmingham), a law degree (Aberdeen), and a BA and certificate in public administration (Memorial). An Adjunct Professor in Global Affairs at the University of Prince Edward Island, he is an experienced policy advisor at both the federal and provincial level and is currently a research fellow with both the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and Dalhousie University's Centre for the Study of Security and Development, respectively. Jeff's research interests are in defence procurement, missile defence, Canadian and Australian defence policy and the Arctic.

Dr. Barbara Perry is the Director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism and a Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Dr. Perry has vast knowledge in the areas of right-wing extremism and hate crime and has written extensively on these areas. She has also published books on the Native American victimization and social control, including The Silent Victims: Native American Victims of Hate Crime, and Policing Race and Place: Under- and Over-enforcement in Indian Country. Dr. Perry continues to focus on the areas of hate crime and right wing extremism, continuing to contribute to the limited scholarship in these areas in Canada.

Dr. Victor Asal is the Director of the Centre for Policy Research and a policy Professor at the University of Albany. Dr. Asal is also involved with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. Dr. Asal’s research is focused on the various types of violence by nonstate organizational actors and the causes that lead to political discrimination by states against different groups such as sexual minorities, women and ethnic groups.

LCdr Ryan Bell is a Naval Warfare Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as an MA candidate at the Canadian Forces College Joint Command and Staff Programme (JCSP)