Benedict Baxendale-Smith
Cuthbert Collingwood Associate Fellow in Maritime StrategyMain areas of expertise: Defence and security, UK defence policy, US defence policy, and sea power.
Benedict Baxendale-Smith is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Defence Studies at King’s College London, researching the role of the maritime-air domain in the Indo-Pacific strategies of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. In addition to working for a Member of Parliament, he has previously held a position at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. He holds an MA in International Relations with distinction from Durham University.
Stephen Booth
Associate Fellow in Political EconomyMain areas of expertise: Political economy of the UK and European Union, trade, regulation, and immigration policy.
Stephen Booth is an experienced public policy analyst and political commentator. Previously, he was Head of the Britain in the World Project at Policy Exchange and Director of Policy and Research at the think tank Open Europe. His work focuses on the United Kingdom’s international economic relationships and the global economic and political trends affecting Britain’s place in the world.
Dr Hillary Briffa
Anne Warburton Associate Fellow in National SecurityMain areas of expertise: National security, grand strategy, role of small states in British strategic policy
Dr Hillary Briffa is a Senior Lecturer in National Security Studies and the Assistant Director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London, where she read for her PhD in War Studies, asking whether small states can have a grand strategy. In the Department of War Studies, Hillary is the research theme lead for National and International Security in the School of Security Studies. She currently teaches National Security Studies, and Political Violence, Counterterrorism and Human Rights at MA level.
Ben Brittain
Matthew Boulton Associate Fellow in Economic ModernisationMain areas of expertise: Regional economic development, productivity, innovation, economic monitoring, sub-national governance, geoeconomics
Ben Brittain is a policy advisor to West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street. Previously, he was a researcher at City-REDI (City Regional Economic Development Institute) based at the University of Birmingham. His research aims to better understand what drives growth in city regions and inform and influence regional and national economic growth policies. This has included published research on British subnational government, devolution and independent economic monitoring and reviews.
Prof. Tim Edmunds
Associate FellowMain area of expertise: Maritime security policy, capacity building, security sector reform
Professor Tim Edmunds is Professor of International Security and Research Director in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. He is also co-director of the SafeSeas network on maritime security, a trustee of the British International Studies Association, and chair of the Bristol Military Education Committee. His work addresses issues of security policy, capacity building and security sector reform, with focus on the maritime domain. He has previously held roles at King’s College London, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the University of Nottingham. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Sheffield.
Dr James Fargher FRGS AKC
William Hewett Associate Fellow in Red Sea GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: History and geopolitics of the Red Sea; insecurity in Northeast Africa; British sea power
Dr James Fargher FRGS AKC is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Associate of King’s College London. He is an experienced researcher focused on historic and contemporary security issues in Africa and Europe. He has worked as a security consultant in Britain and Singapore, leading and contributing to major projects on behalf of multinational corporations, non-governmental organisations, and insurance firms. James holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London and has featured as a speaker at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the United States Naval Academy.
Prof. Mark Galeotti
Anthony Jenkinson Associate Fellow in Russian GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: Russian foreign, security and defence policy
Prof. Mark Galeotti is Director of Mayak Intelligence and an Honorary Professor in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London. He is an expert in modern Russia, particularly its security, politics, and intelligence services. Mark has advised and given evidence to a wide range of bodies, from the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to the International Criminal Police Organisation and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
Dr John Hemmings
James Cook Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: Indo-Pacific geopolitics, British and American roles in Asia, and Northeast Asian security dynamics
Dr John Hemmings is Senior Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii. Previously, he worked for the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. He has briefed the Ministry of Defence, Department for International Trade, and the Cabinet Office. John holds a PhD In International Relations from the London School of Economics and an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College London.
Matthew Henderson
James Cook Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: China strategy, East Asian relations and ‘Five Eyes’ security challenges
Matthew Henderson is an independent consultant on international security issues. Previously, he served as a diplomat with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for nearly 30 years, largely focusing on the People’s Republic of China. After leaving the Foreign Office, Matthew worked for a security consultancy, a think tank and as an independent consultant. He holds an MPhil from the University of Oxford and an BA from the University of Cambridge, both in Chinese Studies. He was also a British Council scholar at Peking University.
Dr William D. James
Sir Eyre Crowe Associate Fellow in Grand StrategyMain areas of expertise: Grand strategy, British defence policy
Dr William D. James is an Assistant Professor in Strategic Studies at NTU Singapore, the Sir Eyre Crowe Associate Fellow in Grand Strategy at the Council on Geostrategy, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre. William earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford and previously held research fellowships at MIT, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and King’s College London. His first book, British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony, was published in early 2024.
Charlotte Kleberg
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Defence and security, maritime security, naval strategy, and sea power.
Charlotte Kleberg holds various project and board advisory roles in the Ro-Ro shipping sector through Wallenius Lines, Wallenius Marine, and United European Car Carriers. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Previously, she was a junior analyst in RAND Europe’s Defence and Security team. Charlotte is particularly interested in contributing to the dialogue between the Navy and the commercial shipping sector to find solutions to maritime security challenges and facilitate greater understanding. She holds an MA from King’s College London and an MSc from the Swedish Defence University. Her research focused on maritime strategy and naval strategic theory, exploring aircraft carrier survivability in the context of U.S.-China competition at sea.
Dr Alexander Lanoszka
Ernest Bevin Associate Fellow in Euro-Atlantic GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: Security challenges in Europe, military strategy, and intra-NATO relations
Dr Alexander Lanoszka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He has previously taught at City, University of London, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Programme. His books include Military Alliances in the Twenty-First Century (2022) and Atomic Assurance: The Alliance Politics of Nuclear Proliferation (2018). He holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton University.
Paul Mason
Aneurin Bevan Associate Fellow in Defence and ResilienceMain areas of expertise: British defence policy, the defence industrial base, armaments production, European security
Paul Mason is an author and journalist, currently writing Reds: The History of Communism from the Neolithic to Xi’s China. Previously, he was the Economics Editor at BBC Newsnight and later at Channel 4 News, reporting on issues from strikes by the People’s Republic of China’s migrant work force, to the Arab Spring. Paul frequently writes for The New European, Frankfurter Rundschau and Social Europe and is the British champion for the global campaign for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Jennifer Parker
Nancy Bentley Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Maritime AffairsMain areas of expertise: Defence policy, military strategy, military operations, force design, maritime security, and international maritime law
Jennifer is an Expert Associate in the National Security College at the Australian National University and an Adjunct Fellow in Naval Studies at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. Previously, she served in the Royal Australian Navy for over 20 years, including as a Principal Warfare Officer and undertook specialist training with the Royal Navy in anti-submarine warfare. Her last appointment in Australia’s navy was as Director of Operations in Bahrain of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 38-nation coalition promoting national security in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region. She has been admitted to the ACT Supreme Court as a legal practitioner.
Prof. Alessio Patalano
Herbert Richmond Associate Fellow in Maritime StrategyMain areas of expertise: Sea power and Maritime Strategy
Prof. Alessio Patalano is the Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. At the Department of War Studies, he is part of the Centre for Grand Strategy where he leads the King’s Japan Programme, and specialises in Japanese naval history and strategy and contemporary maritime issues in East Asia. Alessio is the Director of the Asian Security and Warfare Research Group and Research Associate at the King’s China Institute. Since 2006, he has been Visiting Lecturer in Naval Strategy and East Asian Security at the Italian Naval War College, Venice.
Jack Richardson
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: energy, environment, climate diplomacy, and trade
Jack Richardson is the Head of Policy at Octopus Energy. He was previously the Policy Adviser to the Energy Security Secretary Claire Couhtino in DESNZ, where he advised on a range of subjects covering energy infrastructure and net zero. Before that, he led the think tank Onward’s Energy and Environment programme and the Conservative Environment Network’s climate and energy campaigns. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Political Economy from King’s College London, and has worked in the House of Commons for a Foreign Office minister.
Dr Kevin Rowlands
Julian Corbett Associate Fellow in Naval StrategyMain areas of expertise: Sea power, naval diplomacy, maritime policy and strategy
Dr Kevin Rowlands is the Head of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre, an internal Ministry of Defence think tank which aims to inform senior policy and strategy decision makers. He enjoyed a naval career for 30 years, of which 20 were at sea, and left in the rank of Captain. He has been the Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee and other senior Ministry of Defence boards and committees, and was the Course Director for the United Kingdom’s Advanced Command and Staff Course. Kevin holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, and an MA in Defence Studies and an MA in Education.
Dr Deborah Saunders
Associate FellowMain area of expertise: Maritime security and maritime power in the Black Sea, small navies strategy and policy, Ukraine’s military transformation and conflict termination
Dr Deborah Saunders is a Professor of Contemporary Conflict and Strategy in the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College where she specialises in security issues in the Black Sea Region. She is an advisor to NATO on maritime issues in the Black Sea and is also a Visiting Fellow at the UK Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. She regularly visits the Black Sea region and has a wide range of publications exploring maritime power and maritime security in the region, Ukraine’s military transformation, conflict termination as well as the challenges of building and sustaining small navies in the twenty-first century
Julien Lalanne de Saint-Quentin
François Crouzet Associate Fellow in Comparative GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: Comparative studies, public international law (armed conflicts, maritime, treaties), naval strategy, British-French relations.
Julien Lalanne de Saint-Quentin was an officer in the Marine Nationale for 27 years. He commanded a number of warships and served in the French and British ministries of defence in strategy and policy roles. He was also Naval Attaché to the French Embassy in London. Julien also teaches defence at Sciences Po, Paris, and Franco-British relations at King’s College, London. He was educated at the Ecole Navale, Brest, and the Ecole de Guerre, Paris, and holds an LLM in Public International Law from University College London.
Prof. Gareth Stansfield OBE
Thomas E. Lawrence Associate Fellow in Middle Eastern GeopoliticsMain areas of expertise: Middle East and Gulf politics, British foreign and counter-terrorism, and counter-insurgency
Prof. Gareth Stansfield OBE is Professor of Middle East Politics and the Al-Qasimi Chair of Arab Gulf Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. He has over 25 years of experience in field-based research in the Middle East. He has previously held roles at Chatham House, the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC; and the Royal United Services Institute. Gareth was part of British horizon-scanning initiatives on Iraq and Libya with the Ministry of Defence. He holds a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Middle East Politics, both from Durham University.
Prof. Doug Stokes
Thomas Telford Associate Fellow in Strategic Power and InfrastructureMain areas of expertise: International security, and United States foreign policy and grand strategy
Prof. Doug Stokes is Professor in International Security and Academic Director of the Strategy and Security Institute at the University of Exeter. He helped to establish a non-governmental organisation focused on ethnic reconciliation in Bosnia and held positions with the universities of Kent, Aberystwyth, and others. Doug has advised and presented research to several HM Government agencies and organisations. He holds a PhD in International Relations and an MSc in International Development, both from the University of Bristol.
Patrick Triglavcanin
Geoffrey Whiskard Associate Fellow in AUKUS and Britain in the Indo-PacificMain areas of expertise: Britain’s Indo-Pacific engagement, AUKUS, Australia-UK relations, Australian foreign policy
Patrick was previously Research Officer at the Council on Geostrategy. He is currently completing a Master’s thesis on Britain’s Indo-Pacific policy and regional reactions to it at Curtin University, Western Australia. He has written for multiple Australian and British outlets on AUKUS, the UK’s Indo-Pacific engagement and Australia-UK relations.
William Young
William Stanley Jevons Associate Fellow in Environmental SecurityMain areas of expertise: Trade, technology and finance
William Young is a Director at BloombergNEF, Bloomberg’s strategic research business, Programme Lead for its work with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), and Climate Lead on the East-West focused New Economy Forum. He was formerly Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer and prior to that was instrumental in launching BloombergNEF’s research capabilities and advising clients on technology, finance, economics, politics and business opportunities in the transition to a low carbon economy. He holds an MSc in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and an MA (Hons) in Modern History from the University of Oxford.