Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Rocio Gatdula is the Editor-in-Chief of the GSSR. She serves from Fall 2025 to Summer 2026.
Rocio Gatdula is a second-year master’s candidate in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, specializing in Intelligence, Maritime Security, and Indo-Pacific Security. She has supported research on U.S.-Philippines security cooperation as a Research Assistant to Professor Renanah Joyce and as a Research Consultant under Dr. Daniel Byman at the Warfare, Irregular
Threats, and Terrorism Program in the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also served as an intern at CSIS’ Southeast Asia Program, focusing on the region’s geopolitics. Rocio is the author of National Security and the Philippine Defense Economy, which explores
the impact of defense spending on the Philippines’ economic growth.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Colette Smith is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the GSSR. She serves from Fall 2025 to Summer 2026.
Colette Smith is a second-year master’s candidate in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. During her studies, she has served as Dr. Daniel Byman’s research assistant and conducted research on domestic radicalization for the National Consortium for the Study of
Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). She previously completed a Fulbright Fellowship in East Jerusalem where she obtained an M.A. in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. There, she also researched Iranian proxies’ narratives
at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) while expanding her Arabic
proficiency.
Podcast Director
Lauren Akgerman is the Director of the Precision Guided Podcast. She serves from Fall 2025 to Summer 2026.
Lauren Akgerman is a second-year master’s candidate in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, specializing in International Security. She holds a BA in International Studies from American University, where she focused on Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution.
Associate Editors
Antonia-Laura Pup, Associate Editor for Europe & Central Asia
Kiernan Christ, Associate Editor for the Indo-Pacific
Jordyn Abrams, Associate Editor for the Middle East & North Africa
Julian Reich, Associate Editor for the Middle East & North Africa
Garrett Wright, Associate Editor for Sub-Saharan Africa
Juan Pablo Villasmil, Associate Editor for the Western Hemisphere
Elie Leon Castanie, Associate Editor for the Western Hemisphere
Zeynep Ozharat, Associate Editor for Environment & Health
Sasha Prevost, Associate Editor for Gender & Identity
Angela Yu, Associate Editor for Geoeconomics and Resource Competition
Jackson Mariani, Associate Editor for Defense
Lidia Bernd, Associate Editor for Race & Security
Nikitha Rai, Associate Editor for Technology
Jupiter Huang, Associate Editor for Technology
Iselin Brady, Associate Editor for Terrorism & Transnational Threats
Prachi Mishra, Associate Editor for Biosecurity & Health