Almudena Azcárate Ortega

Dr Almudena Azcárate Ortega is a Fellow at UNIDIR’s Space Security Programme. She also leads space law and regulation work at Secure World Foundation (SWF) as a Senior Program Analyst. She has a decade of experience working in international law, primarily focused on outer space issues.

Prior to joining SWF, Almudena was the lead Space Security Researcher at UNIDIR, where she was in charge of leading the design and implementation of research projects and strategies on space issues. She has published widely, briefed UN Member States on the topics of space law and policy, and has presented her research in multiple fora. She has led UNIDIR’s participation in several multilateral processes related to outer space matters.

Almudena holds a doctorate in Space Security Law from Georgetown University, focused on the distinction between dual-use and dual-purpose space systems. She also holds a Master of Laws in National Security Law from the same institution, where she was awarded Georgetown’s Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Prize for the most distinguished academic performance in the programme. She received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Navarra, Spain.

Almudena is also an Academic Fellow with the Centre on National Security at Georgetown University. She is licensed to practice law in Spain, and before joining UNIDIR, she worked as a lawyer focused on high-stakes international litigation and arbitration for one of Spain’s top law firms, Uría Menéndez.