Emerging Voices Network

BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network is a sustainable global network of high-potential, early career technical and policy experts who have begun to inherit the responsibility to manage nuclear threats. 

What is the Emerging Voices Network?

The Emerging Voices Network (EVN) is a digital, global network of high-potential, early career researchers on nuclear weapons and nuclear policy issues. Today’s early career researchers on nuclear issues are increasingly geographically dispersed and alarmingly disconnected from each other, particularly in terms of engagement between different regions. As yet, there is no effective, networked method for enabling sustained dialogue and facilitating collaborative problem-solving between these young people. The EVN exists to fill this gap, and since 2020 has been continuing to work to do so as a 350-member strong network, through events, publications, networking and targeted outreach. 

For our pilot cycle, Founding Members of the Network were invited to form working groups, and together, they produced the Network’s flagship policy outputs, centred around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference. Working group topics for the pilot cycle were chosen by our members – reemphasising that the EVN is a members-first network. The EVN continues to review our membership and opens up for applications and nominations a few times a year. The Network is also designed to be reflexive and dynamic rather than static in nature – the design of the working groups, for instance, changes with what our membership perceive to be the most pressing issues for a given period. Furthermore, the Network aims to continuously diversify as it grows, with equity, inclusivity and accessibility being core tenets for the Network, reflected in our targeted outreach efforts in regions such as the Asia-Pacific. Gender parity is not the only marker of true inclusivity, but women and gender minorities make up more than 60% of the Network. 

Network Members will either be between the ages of 18 and 35, or been working in the nuclear field for less than 7 years. They will be able to demonstrate formal study or interest in nuclear issues, and will attend in their personal capacity. 

We seek to ensure that the EVN remains an equitable, accessible, and inclusive space. To do this, the Emerging Voices Network Code of Conduct has been developed by the EVN Board on behalf of membership which sets out the standards of behaviour that are expected of all members. We hope that it will serve as a useful resource to ensure a culture of safety, respect, and professionalism for all. 

Latest Emerging Voices Network Content


See more about what the EVN has been upto below. You can find these posts within our various programme pages. Read more about the nature of our programmes and browse through them by clicking here. 

You can find our current programmes by clicking here. To see our completed programmes, visit our archive.

Meet Our EVN Board

Saba Batool

Chair

Our Chair, Syeda Saba Batool, is pursuing her M.Phil. degree in International Relations from the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR), Quaid e Azam University Islamabad. She is also a Research Fellow with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Germany. 

Niels Renssen

Vice-Chair

Our Vice-Chair Niels is a diplomat in training at the MFA of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and a board member of Pugwash Netherlands. He completed an MA in War Studies at King’s College London, and a BA in International Relations at the University of Groningen.

Elif Erginyavuz

Elif Erginyavuz is an MA Student at Hacettepe University, studying International Relations. She is an International Student Young Pugwash Leadership Team member, CTBTO Youth Group member, and graduate of the OSCE-UNODA Scholarship for Peace and Security Training Programme 2021.

Haruka Noishiki

Haruka Noishiki works in DC as a Defense reporter for Yomiuri News, Japan’s widest-circulated daily newspaper, and serves on the leadership team of International Student Young Pugwash. Previously, she was Program Officer for The Congressional Study Groups at United States Association of Former Members of Congress.

Jana Wattenberg

Dr Jana Wattenberg is a UKRI postdoctoral fellow (Horizon Europe Guarantee Scheme for Marie Sklodowska Curie Global Fellowship) at Aberystwyth University/American University. She is also a Senior Fellow with Women in International Security (WIIS).

Zuzanna Gwadera

Zuzanna is a Research Assistant and Programme Administrator at IISS, where she works in support of IISS’ Missile Dialogue Initiative project. Zuzanna’s research interest lies in nuclear arms control and missile technology.

Shaza Arif

Shaza Arif is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies, Islamabad. Her research interests include national security and emerging technologies.

Youssef Hosny

Youssef Hosny, is an undergraduate nuclear engineering student and a research fellow in the CTBTO-CENESS research fellowship.

Orion Noda

Orion Noda is a Teaching Assistant at Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He holds a dual-PhD in International Relations and War Studies from the University of São Paulo and King’s College London, and an MA in International Security from the University of Groningen.

Louis Reitmann

Louis is a Research Associate at the VCDNP. He has previously worked as an export control officer at Imperial College London and as a Blue Book Trainee with the EU Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Brussels.

Ian Fleming Zhou

Ian is a former CTBTO-CENESS research fellow. He is currently a PhD candidate in International Politics at the University of Pretoria. His areas of research are nuclear diplomacy, non-proliferation and disarmament.

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