PSSI staff
Roger W. Robinson, Jr.
Chairman and Co-Founder
rrobinson@pssiwashington.org
Roger W. Robinson, Jr. is Chairman and Co-Founder of the Prague Security Studies Institute in the Czech Republic and Executive Director of PSSI Washington Inc. He was formerly Senior Director of International Economic Affairs at the Reagan National Security Council, where he was the architect of the secret economic and financial strategy for the take-down of the Soviet Union. He later served as Chairman of the Congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission for the bulk of 2001-2006. Prior to his government service, Mr. Robinson was a Vice President in the International Department of the Chase Manhattan Bank with responsibility for Chase’s loan portfolios in the USSR, Central/Eastern Europe and Yugoslavia. He also served as a personal staff assistant to then-Chase Chairman David Rockefeller for some three years. Mr. Robinson was President & CEO of RWR Advisory Group, a data services, research and risk management firm that specializes in assessing Chinese and Russian risk factors, particularly with regard to their presence in the U.S. capital markets.
Jana Robinson
Managing Director
jrobinson@pssi.cz
Dr. Jana Robinson has been Managing Director of the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) since April 2020. She also serves as PSSI’s Space Security Program Director, a post she assumed in 2015. She previously held the position of a Space Policy Officer at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels as well as a Space Security Advisor to the Czech Foreign Ministry. She is a 2025 recipient of the Medal for Contribution to Diplomacy, awarded by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Kristína Sikoraiová
Director of Operations
sikoraiova@pssi.cz
Kristína Sikoraiová became Director of Operations of the Prague Security Studies Institute in January 2025. She has been with the Institute since February 2020, where she has played a pivotal role in advancing the Institute’s Space Security Program. During her tenure at PSSI, she has focused on research, analysis, and event organization, while also providing support to the Security Scholars Program.
Oldřich Černý
In memoriam - Executive director
It has been truly difficult for each of us to cope with the profound sadness of the passing of our friend and leader, Oldřich Černý. Olda, as his friends and colleagues knew him, had an inviting smile, infectious energy, and a steely determination towards advancing the cause of human freedom. We all loved and admired him.
Anna Švidroňová
Office and Communications Manager
svidronova@pssi.cz
Anna Švidroňová is an Office and Communications Manager at PSSI. She holds a master's degree in Editorial Work and Publishing from Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. At PSSI, she manages social media strategy, content creation, and digital marketing, while also overseeing office administration and financial operations.
Kristína Šefčíková
Project Manager
sefcikova@pssi.cz
Kristína Šefčíková joined PSSI in April 2021 and works as a Project Manager and analyst for the Information Resilience Program. She specializes in disinformation, strategic communication, and foreign malign influence. Her current topics of interest within the disinformation portfolio are disinformation as a business, elections-related disinformation and effective strategies of resilience building. Her research includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia and cooperation with partners from the wider CEE region. Ms. Šefčíková is a sought-after speaker in media, podcasts, conferences, and expert panels. Prior to joining PSSI, she gained experience in an MEPs office and conducting research in various Czech and Slovak think-tanks with a focus on information security and cognitive warfare.
Elias Sköld
Project Manager
skold@pssi.cz
Elias Sköld is a Project Manager for the Economic and Financial Statecraft Program, focusing on China. He holds a Master's Degree in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Chinese Studies, having written his thesis on how recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence influenced the Chinese government's policy practices. Elias' research interests focus on high level political decision-making, disruptive technologies, and climate change and its geopolitical consequences.
Nico Mastrangelo
Project Coordinator
mastrangelo@pssi.cz
Nico Mastrangelo graduated Summa Cum Laude from Charles University's Politics, Philosophy and Economics Program in 2024. His bachelor thesis entitled “An Experiment in the Development of Novel Republican Institutions” examined civic and democratic decline within American politics, proposing institutions which promote direct democratic action as a potent antidote. During his studies at Charles University, he founded the English language media platform The Karlovian. At PSSI Nico started as a Project Assistant within the Economic and Financial Statecraft program, and now leverages his expertise relating to the complex intersection of economics and security within PSSI’s Space Security Program.
Martin Sušienka
Project Manager
susienka@pssi.cz
Martin Sušienka works at PSSI as a Project Manager supporting the Security Scholars Program. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Politics and Diplomacy from the Prague University of Economics and Business, where he is currently enrolled in the Master’s program. His experience includes an academic exchange at Sciences Po Paris, a managing role in a student-led Junior Diplomat Initiative as well as working for embassies of Denmark and Slovakia.
Ondřej Perušič
Project Assistant
perusic@pssi.cz
Ondřej joined PSSI in early 2025 as a Project Assistant for the Information Resilience Program. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law at the same faculty, as well as a Master’s degree in Modern History at the Faculty of Arts. Since 2017, he has represented the Czech Republic as a member of the National Beach Volleyball Team, competing internationally and spending extensive time abroad as a professional athlete.
Franziska Kaendler
Project Assistant
kaendler@pssi.cz
Franziska Kaendler is a Project Assistant for the Space Security Program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Politics and is currently completing a Master’s in European Foreign Policy at Sciences Po in Paris. Previously, she has worked at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Parliament. Franziska’s academic focus is on the geopolitics and geoeconomics of technology. She is currently writing her Master’s thesis on commercial space assets in European space security.
Frank Asbeck
Senior Fellow
Frank Asbeck is a Senior Fellow supporting PSSI’s Space Security Program. Mr. Abeck is former Principal Adviser for Space and Security Policy (including cyber) for the European Commission (Directorate General RELEX) and subsequently the European External Action Service, and a member of its Space Task Force (2010 - 2019). He began his professional career at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, dealing with military space and arms control. He then joined the German public service to concentrate on arms control, CBRN proliferation and East-West technology transfer. Following his assignment to the German Embassy in Brussels, in 1992 he became Deputy Director of the Western European Union Satellite Center in Torrejón, Spain. From 2001 onwards, Mr. Asbeck worked at the European Commission as Director of the newly created Security Directorate. In 2005, he moved back to Torrejón as the Director of the EU Satellite Centre. Mr. Asbeck studied physics, law and political science in Germany and war studies in London.
John P. Stopher
Senior Fellow
Dr. John Stopher is a Senior Fellow supporting PSSI’s Space Security Program. He previously served as the Principal Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force for Space and was responsible to the Secretary of the Air Force for establishing a Space Force as well as governance, planning, policy, strategy, development and execution across the defense space portfolio and integration with the National Security Space Enterprise. He was also the lead for international space relations and interdepartmental and interagency matters.
Justin Bernier
Senior Fellow
Mr. Justin Bernier is a Senior Fellow supporting PSSI’s Economic and Financial Statecraft Program. Mr. Bernier is Chief Executive Officer of National Security Index, a fund company he co-founded to help Americans invest in emerging markets without harming U.S. national security and human rights interests. He also co-founded All Source Investment Management, an independent advisor specializing in private equity and other alternative investments. Mr. Bernier previously was an Alternative Investments Director and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
Peter Hays
Senior Fellow
Dr. Peter L. Hays is a Senior Fellow at the Prague Security Studies Institute, bringing extensive experience in space policy and national security.
Following a 25-year career in the U.S. Air Force during which he taught national security and space policy courses at the USAF Academy, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and National Defense University, Dr. Hays served for almost 20 years as a defense contractor in the Pentagon and at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He has been directly involved in developing and implementing major space policy initiatives since 2004.
Petr Lang
Board Member
Petr Lang is a Board Member of the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI). Mr. Lang served as PSSI's Program Director from 2012 until April 2020. He has been working as PSSI’s Program Coordinator since 2006. His responsibilities include the coordination, planning and implementation of all PSSI’s programs, and he worked closely with Olda Černý, PSSI’s late Executive Director.
Lukas Vylupek
Board Memeber
Dr. Lukas Vylupek became a Board Member of Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) in January 2025. He has over 20 years long career in strategic consulting and worked for companies like Arthur D. Little and The Boston Consulting Group, where he was advising large multinational companies and governments globally with their strategic, regulatory or operational issues.