Thao Pham

Thao Pham is a PhD researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy, and Strategy (CSDS). She holds a MRes in Social Sciences and a BSc in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Before joining CSDS, Thao gained research experience through projects at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, where she focused on the politics of outer space, Chinese foreign policy and Southeast Asian politics. In addition to her academic work, she has actively collaborated with political parties, advocating for stronger European space commercialisation and defence capabilities.

Thao’s research interests centre on the nexus between space technology and geopolitics, with a particular focus on EU and China space policies. Her work explores how satellite technology and infrastructure are leveraged as a tool for diplomacy and alliance-building among major powers and countries in the Global South.