Ms Rissanen is an international policy analyst and strategist working at the intersection of energy and international security, with extensive experience in strategic foresight & planning and focus on the future. Currently, she is Team Leader at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) where she leads strategic planning and stakeholder engagement activities in the IAEA Department of Safeguards that is responsible for nuclear verification activities in over 180 States. Through its verification activities, the IAEA deters the spread of nuclear weapons and provides credible assurances that States are honouring their international obligations to use nuclear material only for peaceful purposes.

During her international career, she has worked in Geneva, New York and Vienna, serving in various positions in international security affairs, including at the United Nations and non-proliferation & disarmament think tanks.

Ms Rissanen holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (2013); a Master of Arts (MA) in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey (1999); and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Mass Communication from University of Maine (1996) in the United States.