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Anne-Sophie Corbeau is a visiting fellow in GMF's Strategic Foresight program and a global research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, where she leads research on natural gas and hydrogen. She is also a visiting professor at Sciences Po.

With 25 years’ experience in the energy industry, Corbeau is a widely published author on the geopolitics of gas, and markets in China, India, and other countries in Asia and Africa. She is the author of "LNG Markets in Transition: The Great Reconfiguration" and co-chairs the governing body of Gastech.

Corbeau was previously head of gas analysis at bp and analyzed trends across the gas, nuclear, and hydrogen sectors as part of the company's Economic and Energy Insights team. She was also a research fellow at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh, where she built the natural gas program, and held roles at the International Energy Agency and at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. She began her career as an engineer working on fuel cells and hydrogen at Peugeot and Debis Systemhaus.

Corbeau holds a master's degree in energy engineering from École Centrale Paris and a master's degree in economics from the University of Stuttgart.

Kritika Sharma is a Washington, DC-based multimedia specialist focusing on video production and international affairs storytelling. With over six years of experience in multimedia and strategic communications, she makes global issues easier to understand by producing impactful visual storytelling on topics including geopolitics, diplomacy, governance, and migration.

Prior to joining GMF, Sharma led multimedia at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Institute of Politics and Public Service. She also worked at the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, where she transformed its multimedia presence and pioneered creative video formats.

Sharma holds a master's degree in international migration and refugees from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. She speaks French, Spanish, Hindi, and Marathi.

Ioan Istrate is a nonresident senior fellow with GMF. He is part of the research team supporting the GMF Defense Tech Task Force.

Istrate is a strategic advisor specializing in transatlantic cooperation on emerging technology, defense innovation, dual-use ecosystems, and allied capability development. Recently, he served as senior advisor to the executive team of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), where he supported the scale-up of the alliance’s dual-use accelerator program. His work involved shaping elements of DIANA’s operating model and linking emerging companies to commercialization, capital, and allied capability-development pathways. He convened the transatlantic investor network, connecting it with deep tech opportunities in 32 allied markets; and advised high-potential companies within the program on capital readiness and go-to-market strategy. He also served on the founding advisory body of the NATO Innovation Fund.

Previously, Istrate advised the Romanian government on emerging technology policy and initiated key national-level capabilities. His background spans government, management consulting (PricewaterhouseCoopers, Kearney), entrepreneurship, and strategic advisory. Earlier in his career, Istrate contributed to global emerging technology ecosystems including at the XPRIZE Foundation, where he won the 2016 XPRIZE Visioneers competition.

Istrate holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a master’s degree from the Bucharest University of Economics.

Zach Beecher is a nonresident senior fellow with GMF's Global Power Shifts team. He is part of the research staff supporting GMF's Defense Tech Task Force.

Beecher is also director of investment strategy on the Ventures and Tech Accelerator team at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he focuses on scaling defense and national security technologies from inception to impact. He brings a rare combination of operational military experience, deep defense-sector networks, and a track record of building venture portfolios at the intersection of technology and national security. Previously, he served as a partner at Scout Ventures, partner and head of growth at America's Frontier Fund, and principal at C5 Accelerate, where he built an early-stage portfolio spanning cyber, AI, and the space economy. A Ranger-qualified paratrooper and veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, Beecher led combat logistics advisory for Iraqi forces during Operation Inherent Resolve and continues to serve as a reservist with Special Operations Command—firsthand experience that directly informs his commitment to technologies that matter. He holds a bachelor’s degree in national security policy from Princeton University, an MPhil from Cambridge, and a master’s degree from King's College London, where he was a Rotary Scholar. He serves on the boards of Operation Gratitude and the Mental Health Association of New Jersey.

Oleksandra Antypenko is a Brussels-based program coordinator. She previously worked in the Department for Legislative Analysis at the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine, where she assessed national laws for corruption risks. She also served in the Legislative Coordination Unit of the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament, and at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

Antypenko holds two law degrees in EU law and human rights from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. She was an exchange student at the University of Vienna, where she focused on EU law, international humanitarian law, and international development.

Roxana Vanatoru is a Bucharest-based human resources coordinator and office manager. She supports human resources operations in close collaboration with the People and Culture team while ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of the Bucharest office.

With a professional background spanning the NGO, education, legal, and real estate sectors, Vanatoru has extensive experience in human resources administration, streamlining operations, and financial management.

Alexandros Yannis is the Head of Policy Planning and Strategic Foresight Division in the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the European Union. He worked with Javier Solana, the first EU High Representative for common foreign and security policy, and as Member of the Cabinet of Catherine Ashton, the former EU High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission. He worked as the EEAS Senior Expert on Energy Diplomacy and with the EU in Somalia and the UN in Kosovo. He has also been Associate Professor at The Fletcher School of Tufts University in Boston, Visiting Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York, and he holds a PhD in international relations from the Graduate Institute of the University of Geneva.

Alina Storozhuk is a Warsaw-based program coordinator for GMF Cities focused on the Ukraine Cities Partnership program. Her professional background is in development in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, with expertise in democratic resilience, civil society strengthening, information integrity, regional security, and strategic communications.

Storozhuk previously served as a senior program officer at the National Democratic Institute in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she spearheaded innovative programming across Eastern Europe in civic participation, countering disinformation, women’s empowerment, and media development. She provided capacity building and technical assistance to civil society organizations and independent media outlets. She has also worked with international humanitarian organizations and Ukrainian government institutions.

Storozhuk holds a master’s degree in international communications from Vilnius University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and English translation from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Sofiia Kozak is a program assistant for the Strategic Democracy Initiative (SDI), where she provides both administrative and research support and manages GMF's cooperation with several stakeholders internationally. Kozak has interned with the US Senate, Voice of America, and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, the world's largest trade association representing the unmanned systems industry. Through these experiences, she has worked on a wide range of issues from defense policy and innovation to the regional politics of Eastern Europe. Originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Kozak received a bachelor's degree in government with a concentration in international relations from Cornell University. In addition to graduating with distinction, Sofiia was awarded a prize recognizing students who demonstrated dedication to the field of peacebuilding.

Sophia Gaston is a nonresident senior fellow in Strategic Foresight at GMF, where she specializes in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security theaters. Her research focuses on strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of advanced liberal democracies in a turbulent geopolitical era, with a particular focus on British strategic advantage.

Gaston advises the British government as an external challenge partner and policy expert, and trains civil servants on geopolitical capabilities. She is a senior research fellow in the Centre for Statecraft and National Security in the Department of War Studies at King's College London and a senior advisor to the Defense and National Security Practice at the Asia Group in Washington, DC. In addition, she holds affiliations as a senior fellow in the Changing Character of War Programme at the University of Oxford, an expert associate at the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra, and an academic fellow at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

Gaston is a regular media commentator for national and global publications and broadcast television, and frequently presents on her research at international conferences. She also advises the UK government and private-sector organizations on geopolitical risk, strategic forecasting, and policy development.

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