Chris Johnson

I am a Lecturer at the International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL), Leiden University Law School, in Leiden, the Netherlands. I teach international, regional, and national space law and policy to LLM students and serve as course leader for the “European and Commercial Perspectives” course. I convene external experts, integrate practitioner perspectives into the curriculum, and advise students on internships and advanced research projects.

Prior to joining the IIASL, I served as Director of Legal Affairs and Space Law at the Secure World Foundation, an NGO dedicated to space policy and security. I analyzed international and national legal frameworks governing space activities, with particular focus on space debris, space situational awareness, governance, and the prevention of conflict in outer space. I designed and led national and international workshops addressing international cooperation, space security, long-term sustainability, the use of Earth observation data for human and environmental security, and capacity-building for emerging space professionals.

Earlier in my career, I practiced as an attorney in New York City, working on trial preparation, discovery, and litigation in corporate and securities matters. My cases involved federal and state investigations and trials in the financial services, insurance, and computer microchip sectors. I have also interned at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna, Austria, NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in the International Law Department of the European Space Agency in Paris, France.