This document compiles detailed background research on all individuals mentioned in Sara Russo’s LinkedIn post regarding the 2026 European Security Studies Conference (ESSC 2026).
Sara Russo
Sara Russo is a PhD Candidate in Defence and Security Studies at the Centre for Higher Defence Studies (CASD) and the University of Turin [1]. She is the author of the LinkedIn post and co-presented a paper at the ESSC 2026. Her research specializes in cognitive warfare, social network analysis, and leadership and organizational dynamics. She examines how influence, narratives, perceptions, trust, and sensemaking propagate through social and organizational networks below the threshold of armed conflict [2].
In her recent work, she focuses on the economic and organizational vulnerabilities created by cognitive warfare, notably arguing that it is cheap to initiate but costly to counter, which subverts traditional deterrence logic [1]. She also runs a Substack newsletter titled “Cognitive Warfare Research & OSINT Insights.” Prior to her current PhD program, she completed studies at Politecnico di Milano, Technological University of Panama, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro [2].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Post Author and Co-Presenter |
| Current Position | PhD Candidate in Defence and Security Studies |
| Affiliation | CASD and University of Turin |
| linkedin.com/in/sarajrusso | |
| Twitter/X | @sarajrusso |
| Key Publications | “Cognitive Warfare Is Cheap—and That’s the Problem” (2026); “Mapping the cognitive warfare literature” (2026) |
Giulia Biselli
Giulia Biselli is a PhD Candidate in Strategic and Defence Studies at the Centre for Higher Defence Studies (CASD) and the University of Turin, and the co-author of the paper presented with Sara Russo at ESSC 2026 [3]. Her doctoral research analyzes the geopolitical implications of Chinese foreign policy and non-conflictual forms of strategic influence, with a particular focus on critical infrastructure management and international security.
She holds a Master’s in International Relations from LUISS Guido Carli, a Master’s in International Law from China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, and a Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management from Università Niccolò Cusano [3]. Beyond academia, she co-founded BST Impact in 2021, a Geneva-based consultancy focused on human rights and inclusion. She has also collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Defense, the Air Force, and the World Health Organization on security, biochemical defense, and emergency management [3].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Co-Author of the presented paper |
| Current Position | PhD Candidate; Founding Partner at BST Impact |
| Affiliation | CASD and University of Turin; BST Impact sàrl |
| linkedin.com/in/giuliabiselli | |
| Twitter/X | Not actively used for professional purposes |
| Key Publications | “Influence as Strategic Infrastructure” (2026); “Chinese Covert Influence Operations” (2023) |
Chiara Libiseller
Dr. Chiara Libiseller is a Lecturer in Strategic Studies at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, where she earned her PhD in 2022 [4]. At ESSC 2026, she chaired the panel titled “Conceptualizing Military Strategy: From Planning to War” [5]. She previously held academic positions at Leiden University, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Innsbruck.
Her research focuses on Western knowledge production on war and strategy. She specifically analyzes the rise and fall of fashionable concepts in Strategic Studies, tracing the life cycles of terms such as ‘revolution in military affairs’, ‘counterinsurgency’, and ‘hybrid warfare’ to understand their embedded assumptions [4]. She serves as the deputy editor for the Journal of Strategic Studies and sits on the Advisory Committee of Women in International Security (WIIS) UK [4].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Panel Chair |
| Current Position | Lecturer in Strategic Studies |
| Affiliation | King’s College London |
| linkedin.com/in/chiara-libiseller-420a09160 | |
| Twitter/X | @CLibiseller |
| Key Publications | Reconceptualizing War (OUP, 2026); “‘Hybrid warfare’ as an academic fashion” (2023) |
Alexander Lanoszka
Dr. Alexander Lanoszka is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Director of the Master of Public Service program at the University of Waterloo [6]. At ESSC 2026, he presented a paper co-authored with Dr. Michael Hunzeker titled “Fortifying the Eastern Flank: Leveraging Historical Lessons to Create Effective Defence Systems” [5]. He received his PhD in Politics from Princeton University in 2014 and previously taught at City, University of London, with fellowships at MIT and Dartmouth College.
His research studies alliance politics, theories of war, and European security, with a special emphasis on Central and Northeastern Europe. He is a fellow at the UK-based Council on Geostrategy and the Ottawa-based MacDonald-Laurier Institute, and serves as a co-director of the Réseau d’Analyse Stratégique [7].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Panelist |
| Current Position | Associate Professor of International Relations |
| Affiliation | University of Waterloo |
| linkedin.com/in/alexanderlanoszka | |
| Twitter/X | @ALanoszka |
| Key Publications | Military Alliances in the Twenty-First Century (2022); Atomic Assurance (2018) |
Mariya Grinberg
Dr. Mariya Grinberg is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of the MIT Security Studies Program [8]. At ESSC 2026, she presented a paper titled “Anticipated Failure: Why States Go to War Un(der)prepared” [5]. She earned her PhD in Political Science at the University of Chicago in 2019.
Her primary research examines why states trade with their enemies during wartime, investigating product-level and temporal variation in commercial policies. Her broader academic interests center on how time and uncertainty shape strategic decisions, order formation, and military planning [9].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Panelist |
| Current Position | Associate Professor of Political Science |
| Affiliation | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| Not actively tagged/used | |
| Twitter/X | Not actively used (Associated with @MITPoliSci) |
| Key Publications | Trade in War: Economic Cooperation Across Enemy Lines (2025); “Wartime Commercial Policy” (2021) |
Samuel Zilincik
Dr. Samuel Zilincik is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Studies at the Royal Danish Defence College [10]. At ESSC 2026, he presented a paper titled “Revisiting Multi-Domain Operations: A Historical Reflection on the Respective Roles of Combination and Prioritisation in the Conduct of War” [5]. He received his PhD in security and strategic studies from Masaryk University in 2023.
His research focuses on how military operations generate strategic effects, classical military strategy, and the role of emotions and rationality in strategic decision-making. He also serves as an assistant editor for the two most recent volumes of The Cambridge History of Strategy [10].
| Profile Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Role in Post | Panelist |
| Current Position | Assistant Professor of Strategic Studies |
| Affiliation | Royal Danish Defence College |
| linkedin.com/in/samuel-zilincik-13665765 | |
| Twitter/X | Not found |
| Key Publications | “The Role of Emotions in Military Strategy” (2025); “The Essence of Cross-Domain Deterrence” (2020) |
References
[1] S. Russo, “Cognitive Warfare Is Cheap—and That’s the Problem,” Small Wars Journal, Jan. 30, 2026. Available: Cognitive Warfare Is Cheap—and That’s the Problem | Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.
[2] S. Russo, “Sara Russo Profile,” ResearchGate. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sara-Russo-15.
[3] “Giulia Biselli,” Geopolitica.info. Available: Giulia Biselli - Geopolitica.info.
[4] “Dr Chiara Libiseller,” King’s College London. Available: Chiara Libiseller | King's College London.
[5] EISS, “2026 — Stockholm Conference Programme,” European Initiative for Security Studies. Available: 2026 Conference — Stockholm — EISS.
[6] “Alexander Lanoszka,” University of Waterloo. Available: Alexander Lanoszka | Political Science | University of Waterloo.
[7] A. Lanoszka, “About Me,” Alexander Lanoszka Personal Website. Available: https://www.alexlanoszka.com/.
[8] “Mariya Grinberg,” MIT Security Studies Program. Available: Mariya Grinberg | People | MIT Security Studies Program (SSP).
[9] “Mariya Grinberg,” MIT Political Science. Available: Mariya Grinberg | People | MIT Political Science.
[10] “Samuel Zilincik,” The Conversation. Available: Samuel Zilincik – The Conversation.
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