Kristen Csenkey, Ph.D. is a scholar and a technology governance expert. Currently serving as a Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Digital Policy Hub fellow and Canadian Maritime Security Network Postdoctoral Fellow, she brings a unique perspective to the complexities of global cyber governance, technology interdependence, and geopolitics of cyber and emerging technology. 

Broadly, she employs socio-technical approaches to investigate the complexities of cyber governance, defence, and security, with a particular emphasis on the comparative analysis of national responses to quantum sensing and computing. Her work has been published in the Journal of Cybersecurity, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, Canadian Naval Review, War on the Rocks, and Le Rubicon. 

Dr. Csenkey’s doctoral research explored the intricate relationship between humans, technology, and cyber, culminating in the development of a comprehensive framework for cybersecurity governance. In addition, she leads multiple Department of National Defence-funded grant projects through the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security program, advancing innovative social science research on quantum technologies, connected aviation systems, and cyber-resilient electric vehicles. In her capacity as a CIGI Digital Policy Hub fellow, she focuses on examining the governance considerations of quantum-enhanced transportation systems for G7 states. As part of the Canadian Maritime Security Network, she endeavours to examine how cooperating democratic states manage defence challenges posed by the interconnections between quantum sensing technologies, sovereignty, and security within the maritime domain.

Dr. Csenkey frequently lends her expertise to various panels and policy discussions that influence key decision-makers in Canadian federal government departments, military task forces, and parliamentary groups and international think tanks. She has been invited to deliver expert testimonies before parliamentary committees in the Canadian Senate and House of Commons, and her insights have been featured on national TV and radio platform, including CBC and CTV News.

Dr. Csenkey has received numerous accolades, including an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship. She was named a Women in International Security Emerging Thought Leader in Digital Security and her professional contributions were recognized by the Women in Defence and Security Canada–Canadian Global Affairs Institute Fellowship award. Dr. Csenkey also holds fellowship positions with the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security, North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network, and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. She holds H.B.Sc., M.A., M.A.P., and a Ph.D. in Global Governance degrees from Canadian academic institutions.