Lisa Klaassen is a DPhil student at the Oxford Internet Institute, specialising in the nexus of artificial intelligence and national security. Her research examines how technology companies shape the discourse and governance of AI within the context of US-China strategic competition, and explores the implications for middle powers. She is generously supported by the ESRC Grand Union DTP and St Antony’s College, Oxford.
Alongside her doctoral work, Lisa writes for CNN and serves as a Research Assistant with the UK Ministry of Defence and King’s Department of War Studies. Prior to her PhD, she worked as a Trainee Analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies, Publication Manager for Institut Montaigne, Intelligence Analyst at Dragonfly, and reported on European affairs at CNN’s Paris Bureau.
In 2025, Lisa was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Oslo Nuclear Project. She has also collaborated with the African Union and held a Visiting Research Fellowship at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies in Addis Ababa.
Lisa holds an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford (2024) and a BA (Hons) from the University of Cambridge (2021), both awarded with highest honours.
Engelsberg Ideas, 05 February 2026
OII DPhil student Lisa Klaassen explores Moltbook, a social network run entirely by AI agents, bots debate, cooperate, and form communities, forcing us to rethink what culture means.
Stimson, 27 January 2026
Winning the AI competition won’t come from being fastest in frontier innovation but from deploying AI safely and building public trust. OII DPhil student Lisa Klaassen comments on the US–China AI competition.
The National Interest, 27 January 2026
In a by-lined blog, OII DPhil student Lisa Klassen together with Broderick McDonald explore US-China AI competition and consider who will be the winners in AI deployment race.
