Marina Favaro is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
Chiara Cervasio
Policy Fellow
Chiara is a Doctoral Researcher at the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (ICCS), the University of Birmingham and a Nuclear Policy Analyst at the British American Security Council (BASIC).
Chiara has a background in Political Science, International Relations and International Security. Before completing her BSc in 2014 at the University of Pisa, she worked as an intern at the European University Institute, Fiesole (FI). She then obtained her MSc in 2017 from the University of Bologna, specialising in Politics of Contemporary Asia.
Her PhD project, funded by the School of Government and Society, examines the role of empathy and trust in the de-escalation of international diplomatic crisis between adversaries by security or status dilemmas. In particular, the project examines the resolution of two bilateral crises in Sino-Indian relations between the late 1980s and the late 1990s. During her doctoral studies, Chiara has also been working as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) for the UG module “Understanding International Relations” and as a Teaching Fellow for the PG module “Fear, Cooperation and Trust in World Politics” at the University of Birmingham.
At BASIC, she mainly collaborates to the development of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities. The Programme aims to create a meaningful dialogue between both nuclear possessor and non-possessor states which can be framed around shared nations of responsibilities and empathic cooperations, rather than around rights, blame and suspicion.
Chiara’s broad research interests are International Relations Theory, International Diplomacy, Political Psychology, Nuclear Policy and the Asia-Pacific region.
Meet Our Staff
Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.
Sophie McCormack
Sophie McCormack is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
Marion Messmer
Marion Messmer is the Co-Director of BASIC and Director of BASIC’s Programmes on Risk Reduction and the Stepping Stones Approach to Nuclear Disarmament.
Alice Spilman
Alice Spilman is a Researcher on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities with BASIC and the ICCS, University of Birmingham.
Dr Rishi Paul
Rishi Paul is a Senior Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC and leads our engagement in Southern Asia.
Sebastian Brixey-Williams
Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC and Director of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities.
Meet Our Authors
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