Katarzyna Zysk
Professor at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies
Prof Dr Katarzyna Zysk is Professor of International Relations and Contemporary History at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), part of the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC) in Oslo, where she has worked since 2007. At the IFS, she also served as Deputy Director (2017-2021), Head of Centre for Security Policy, Director of Research, and Acting Dean of the NDUC (2016), where she continues to teach and supervise research. Her research expertise spans Russian military strategy, doctrines, and warfare, security in the High North and the Arctic, nuclear deterrence, maritime security and naval strategy, and AI and EDTs in defence innovation. Prof Dr Zysk has held visiting professorships at leading research institutions worldwide: the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University, the Changing Character of War Centre (CCW) at the University of Oxford, the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), the Hoover Institution’s Arctic Security Initiative, and the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the US Naval War College, where she cooperated closely also with the War Gaming Department.
Updated: March 24, 2026