Chelsea R. Francek

Chelsea R. Francek is a lawyer, originally from the United States, and currently a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, specialising in the regulation of biotechnology and emerging technologies for outer space settlement. Her doctoral research examines how biotechnological adaptations will be critical for human survival beyond Earth, while also posing significant ethical, legal, and existential risks if left unregulated. She approaches space law through the lens of existential risk and species preservation, seeking to integrate ecofeminist and posthumanist approaches into a framework for equitable and anticipatory space governance. Her forthcoming publications explore governance challenges in extraterrestrial environments.

Chelsea’s professional background includes senior legal, regulatory, and compliance roles in the corporate, international development, and non-profit sectors, with expertise in governance, security, and international regulatory systems. This diverse experience shapes her interdisciplinary approach to legal scholarship, bridging practice with future-oriented legal theory. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, a Master of Laws in Outer Space Law, and a Juris Doctor in International and Comparative Law, with broader research interests in dual-use technologies, existential risk, and the development of equitable governance models for the future of humanity in outer space.