Valeriia Hesse

Valeriia Hesse specializes in nuclear policy, international regimes, and disinformation with a regional focus on Ukraine and Russia and is a certified PRINCE2 project manager. 

Valeriia Hesse is a Research Analyst at ONN and a fellow at the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP) eager to innovate, structure, and improve. She focuses on international organizations and regimes in nuclear nonproliferation (with a special attention to the NPT and the IAEA), analyses Russia's nuclear policy, disinformation, and researches potential future scenarios for risk reduction, nonproliferation, disarmament, and arms control. 

Valeriia is obtaining her PhD in international relations exploring pragmatic internationalism in nuclear diplomacy at one of the world’s top-rated programs at Central European University (CEU). Previously, she was a research coordinator at CEU, a visiting researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), a consultant at Atomic Reporters and the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), and an intern at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Safeguards and at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Valeriia is a Fulbright scholar and obtained her master's degree in Nonproliferation and International Security from the University of Georgia (USA).  She also has a bachelor’s and a master's in international relations from Odesa I.I. Mechnykov National University (Ukraine). Hesse was the Annual Meeting Plenary Committee Chair at the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) and is a member of Women in Nuclear (WiN) IAEA, Young Generation European Leadership Network (YGLN), Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network (BSWN), and US-Black Sea Nonproliferation Professional Exchange. 

Valeriia’s favourite quote is “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts” by Winston Churchill. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, walking in nature, learning languages, and reading. She is also passionate about ensuring diversity and equitability of job opportunities in her professional field. 

Valeriia is the author and co-author of many articles and book chapters, featured in interviews and podcasts. Selected publications include:

• Achieving Success Beyond Final Documents: Recommendations for the 2026 NPT Review Conference (Arms Control Today, 2024)
• How Doing Justice to Ukraine Can Help Win the Battle for the Future of Nuclear Security (Stimson Center, 2023)
• Winning the Game of Chicken With Memes: Ukrainian Reactions to Russian Threats (Arms Control Today, 2023)
• U-Factor: Russia’s War on Ukraine and the Deterrence vs. Disarmament Discussion. Pragmatic Internationalism (Springer, 2023)
• Ukrainian expert assesses the possible impact of a military attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 2022)
• Strategic Risk Reduction in the Black Sea Region (Springer, 2022)