Laura Rockwood

Senior Fellow
"This is a nice short quote"

Areas of Research

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation
  • IAEA Safeguards
  • The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
  • Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones

Background

Laura Rockwood re-joined the VCDNP in August 2022 as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow. Ms. Rockwood has over 35 years of experience in non-proliferation and international safeguards and has published extensively on safeguards and non-proliferation.

She retired from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November 2013 as the Section Head for Non-Proliferation and Policy Making in the Office of Legal Affairs after 28 years of service. During her employment with the IAEA, she was the senior legal advisor on all aspects of the negotiation, interpretation, and implementation of IAEA safeguards, and was the principal author of the document that became the Model Additional Protocol. She participated in high-level negotiations on Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, and in the IAEA/US/Russian Federation negotiations on the Trilateral Initiative and the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement.

Prior to her current position at the VCDNP, Ms. Rockwood served as the Executive Director of the Open Nuclear Network, a programme of One Earth Future, and as the VCDNP’s Executive Director between 2015 and 2019.

Education

Ms. Rockwood received a Juris Doctor degree in 1976 from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the State Bar of California and of the Washington, D.C. Bar Association.

Related Content

Negotiating Nuclear Verification: Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
A new VCDNP report examines how nuclear verification is negotiated in practice, exploring the trade-offs, tools and political dynamics that shape verification across arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation
30 April 2026 • 
Spring 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Short Course 
The VCDNP conducted its 31st intensive short course on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, training 22 diplomats, officials, and other practitioners representing 20 countries.
31 March 2026 • 
Seeking Solutions for the 2026 NPT Review Conference: Senior Diplomats Convene for Discussions in Annecy 
At the annual diplomatic workshop in Annecy, France, senior diplomats, international organizations representatives and non-governmental experts discussed priorities, challenges and opportunities for the 2026 NPT Review Conference.
9 March 2026 • 
Navigating Nuclear Risks on the Korean Peninsula: A Conversation with Professor Moon Chung-in
The VCDNP, Open Nuclear Network and Global Neighbours jointly hosted a conversation with Professor Moon Chung-in, a former Advisor to the President of the Republic of Korea.
29 October 2025 • 
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