Areas of Research

• Fissile materials security and control
• International organisations and regimes in non-proliferation and disarmament
• Nuclear non-proliferation issues in Eurasia
• Nuclear non-proliferation and international safeguards
• Non-proliferation and disarmament education and training

Background

Elena K. Sokova is the Executive Director of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP). Her primary research areas are international organisations and regimes in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, fissile materials security and control, nuclear non-proliferation issues in Eurasia, as well as non-proliferation and disarmament education and training. Prior to her post in Vienna, Elena served as Deputy Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she had worked since 1997. Her early career started at the Soviet/Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Elena K. Sokova has authored numerous articles, book chapters, reports, and other publications on non-proliferation and nuclear security. Between 2014 and 2015, she was a member of the Global Agenda Council on Nuclear Security of the World Economic Forum. In 2015, she also chaired a Fissile Material Working Group on ending the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian applications. Elena serves on the Advisory Board of International Youth/Student Pugwash and on the Advisory Board of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium. She also is an International Gender Champion and a Gender Champion in Nuclear Policy.

Education

Elena K. Sokova holds a Master’s degree in International Public Administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (2000) and a Law Degree from Moscow State University (1992).