Newsletter
October 2025
We hope your semester is going well. Here are the latest updates from the TPI team.
Feature
TPI Open House
On October 31st the institute hosted an Open House giving guests the chance to engage with researchers and learn about our work. The event featured demonstrations of the Cyber Test Range and the latest drone technologies, alongside discussions with leadership and fellows. It was a valuable occasion to engage with the Cornell community, visiting parents, and prospective fellows.
Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports the TPI Cyber Test Range
Craig Newmark Philanthropies has awarded the institute $140,000 to support the Cyber Test Range, designed to detect hidden cyber vulnerabilities in critical hardware. Executive Director James Patton Rogers said Craig's passion for cyber civil defence continues to inspire the institute's work in cyber tool development and pioneering security research.
Drones: What Everyone Needs to Know
Founder and Director Sarah Kreps and Executive Director James Patton Rogers published their latest book with Oxford University Press, a comprehensive and updated look at the rapidly evolving world of drones. It covers the past, present, and future of military and civilian applications, and how drones have transformed industries and warfare.
President Gudni Th. Johannesson named 2026 Messenger Lecturer
Cornell has named the former President of Iceland as a 2026 Messenger Lecturer. Secured through the institute's Geopolitics and Technology Hub, he will spend two weeks on campus in March 2026 delivering public lectures and engaging with faculty and students.
Fellow highlight
Every month we highlight a fellow. This month, new Junior Fellow Sophia Dasser.
Sophia Dasser
A Milstein Scholar and Laidlaw Scholar studying Computer Science and Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences. She serves as Opinion Editor of The Cornell Daily Sun, an Interfaith Ambassador, and a UNICEF Global Ambassador. Her research bridges technology and governance, including remote sensing and machine learning object detection to study agricultural practices in Morocco, and policy projects on digital equity with UNICEF and the New York Governor's Office.
Research news
Dark Skies: Criminal Drone Operations Targeting Prisons
A report by Jack Venables, a Bronze Commander with 15 years of counter-drone experience in the UK police, calling for a national strategy that combines legislative reform, technological investment, and joint operational planning to prevent the airspace above prisons from becoming the next frontier of organised crime.
The Militarization of Outer Space
A new report on the legal, ethical, and strategic implications of commercial interests in space.
Community updates
Featured in a Marketplace article on OpenAI and its restructuring.
Commented for Forbes on Ukraine's use of cheap unmanned systems.
Presented research on public support for drone and counter-drone operations at the International Studies Association's International Security Studies Section at Johns Hopkins University.
Quoted by The Hill on Anthropic and the balance between risk and regulation in AI development.
Published an op-ed in Via Satellite on the need for public-private collaboration in space cybersecurity.
James Patton Rogers
Quoted in Canadian Defence Review on Canada's need for investment in drone technology.
Spoke at the NATO Istanbul Regional Centre Study Day on the use of emerging disruptive technologies by non-state armed groups, in Kuwait City.
Gave a lecture at The Catholic University of America on public perceptions of legitimacy for drones, AI, and AI-enabled drones.
Education and outreach
eCornell Country Risk Analysis Certificate Program
Analysing and anticipating geopolitical risks is critical for professionals engaged in multinational business, global investment assessment, or foreign policy work. This certificate programme, developed by James Patton Rogers, is designed to sharpen your analytical skills and help you navigate the contemporary international landscape.
Past events
How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy
Co-hosted with the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, a seminar with Michael Brenes, Co-Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Senior Lecturer in Global Affairs at Yale University.
World in Focus: Drone Threats in Europe
James Patton Rogers spoke at the Einaudi Center's World in Focus talk series on drone threats in Europe, the Russia-Ukraine war, and NATO and EU responses.
The Drone Revolution: Violent Non-State Actors and the Global Proliferation of Armed Drones
An Ezra Systems Seminar for the Cornell Systems Engineering community on the rise of drones, their diffusion into the hands of violent non-state actors, and emerging trends in technological development and use.