Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC and Director of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities.
Chiara Cervasio
Policy Fellow
Chiara is a Policy Fellow at BASIC, working on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities. Chiara has expertise in international diplomacy, mediation and conflict resolution practices. Chiara’s work explores, through research and practice, the role of empathy and trust in the relationship between nuclear adversaries and in international diplomatic negotiations more broadly.
Chiara is also interested in investigating the security dynamics between nuclear possessor and non-possessor states in the Asia-Pacific region. Chiara has provided commentaries for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and has presented her research at several conferences, such as the British International Studies Association (BISA) and the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). Chiara is completing a PhD at the School of Government and Society at the University of Birmingham, where she examines the role of empathy in the de-escalation of two bilateral crises in contemporary Sino-Indian relations. Chiara also has teaching experience, having worked as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) and as a Teaching Fellow to deliver International Relations modules at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Chiara holds a first-class Master from the University of Bologna in International Security and a first-class degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Pisa.
Expertise:
– International diplomacy and mediation
– Nuclear policy in South Asia
– Trust-building and cooperation between nuclear adversaries
– Nuclear Responsibilities
– Sino-Indian security relations
– Empathy and trust in conflict management practices
Meet Our Staff
Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.
Fabian Hoffmann
Fabian Hoffmann is a Policy Intern supporting the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme.
Dr Gry Thomasen
Dr Gry Thomsen is a Policy Fellow at BASIC working on the Nuclear Disarmament Programme.
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is a Policy Fellow and Programme Manager at BASIC, managing the Emerging Technologies Programme.
Chiara Cervasio
Chiara Cervasio is a Policy Fellow, working on the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme.
Dr Rishi Paul
Rishi Paul is a Senior Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC and leads our engagement in Southern Asia.
Alice Spilman
Alice Spilman is a Researcher on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities with BASIC and the ICCS, University of Birmingham.
Emily Enright
Emily Enright is a Policy Fellow and Coordinator of the Emerging Voices Network.
Laura Rose Brown
Laura Rose Brown is a Policy Intern supporting both the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme and the Emerging Voices Network within the Youth, Gender and Diversity workstream.
Sophie McCormack
Sophie McCormack is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
Timothy Choi
Timothy Choi is a Consultant on BASIC’s Emerging Technologies Programme.
Amy Lightfoot
Amy Lightfoot is the Administrator for BASIC and the general contact for all administrative enquiries.
Meet Our Authors
Read more about our main contributors and browse their latest content and publications.
Zara Levy
Zara Rizvi joined BASIC in September 2016 to support the daily office operations and to help develop our communications strategy.
Nick Ritchie
Nick researches and teaches in the areas of international relations and international security at the University of York. His particular…
Vinod Kumar
A. Vinod Kumar is Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), and a Visiting Faculty at the Institute of…
Norman Moss
Norman Moss is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He was born in London in 1928 but was raised and educated partly in New York.
Anthony Rinna
Anthony V. Rinna is a Senior Editor with Sino-NK, a research organization dedicated to analyzing Northeast Asia. Formerly trained as an…
Rebecca Cousins
Rebecca Cousins was BASIC’s Programme Director for the Next Gen project. Prior to that, she was a diplomat in the British Foreign and…
Rachel Staley Grant
Rachel Staley Grant joined NTI in August 2016 and serves as the Director of Public Education. Between 2011 and 2016, Staley Grant…
Edmond Seay III
Ted Seay is an independent arms control and disarmament consultant currently based in London. He was assigned to the U.S. Mission to…
Ward Wilson
Ward Wilson Senior Fellow Ward Wilson was senior fellow and director of the Rethinking Nuclear…
Ian Kearns
Dr Ian Kearns is the co-Founder of the European Leadership Network and serves on the ELN’s Board of Directors. Dr Kearns served as…
Anne Penketh
Anne Penketh was BASIC Program Director in Washington from 2009 to 2012. Previously she was a staff journalist with major media…
Tim Street
Tim recently completed his PhD exploring the politics of nuclear disarmament at Warwick University as part of a collaborative…
Lianet Vazquez
Lianet Vazquez was the Herbert Scoville Jr Peace Fellow at BASIC in 2014.
Tabitha Sanders
Tabitha Sanders is one of the organisers of #NatSecGirlSquad, a US initiative to support women working in National Security. She was a…
Nina Sofie Pedersen
Nina Sofie Pedersen is a Researcher at BASIC. Her current responsibilities include researching and developing the Programme on…
John Thomson
Sir John Thomson was a British Diplomat who was High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to the UN. He served as adviser to BASIC.
Chris Lindborg-Pena
Christina Pena was BASIC’s Analyst and Programme Manager.
Ian Davis
Dr Ian Davis is an independent human security and arms control consultant, writer and founding director of NATO Watch…