Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Executive Director of BASIC.

Co-Director
Marion Messmer was the Co-Director of BASIC from 2019 to 2022, alongside Sebastian Brixey-Williams. Her expertise includes a breadth of issues in transatlantic security and conflict transformation, including strategic risk reduction, disarmament diplomacy and NATO-Russia relations. Marion led on BASIC’s Risk Reduction Programme, Stepping Stones to Disarmament, the Gender and Nuclear Weapons Programme and the organisation’s overall communications strategy.
Marion has been an invited speaker at a range of international conferences, including the 2019 Preparatory Committee, the EU CONOP, the Geneva Nuclear Disarmament Colloquium, the Heidelberg Center for American Studies and the Central Eurasian Studies Society Annual Conference. She regularly comments in national and international media on international security issues.
Marion has completed a PhD in the School of Security Studies at King’s College London where her research focuses on trust building and cooperation in the relationship between Russia and NATO after the end of the Cold War. Marion also holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a BA degree from Mount Holyoke College. Before joining BASIC, Marion worked in a range of policy roles in NGOs and local government.
Expertise:
Discover below Marion’s posts ordered from newest to oldest
Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.
Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Executive Director of BASIC.
Rishi Paul was a Policy Fellow and Programme Manager at BASIC, managing the Programme on Nuclear Disarmament.
Sophie McCormack is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
Chris Spedding is a Policy Fellow and Manager at BASIC, where he manages the Technological Risk programme.
Eva-Nour Repussard is a Policy Fellow, working on the Nuclear Responsibilities programme.
Emily Enright was a Policy Fellow and Coordinator of the Emerging Voices Network.
Fabian Hoffmann was a Policy Intern supporting the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme.
Dr Gry Thomsen is a Policy Fellow at BASIC working on the Nuclear Disarmament Programme.
Read more about our main contributors and browse their latest content and publications.
Nick researches and teaches in the areas of international relations and international security at the University of York. His particular…
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 is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He was born in London in 1928 but was raised and educated partly in New York.
Anthony V. Rinna is a Senior Editor with Sino-NK, a research organization dedicated to analyzing Northeast Asia. Formerly trained as an…
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 joined NTI in August 2016 and serves as the Director of Public Education. Between 2011 and 2016, Staley Grant…
Ted Seay is an independent arms control and disarmament consultant currently based in London. He was assigned to the U.S. Mission to…
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 was BASIC Program Director in Washington from 2009 to 2012. Previously she was a staff journalist with major media…
Tim recently completed his PhD exploring the politics of nuclear disarmament at Warwick University as part of a collaborative…
Lianet Vazquez was the Herbert Scoville Jr Peace Fellow at BASIC in 2014.
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 is a Researcher at BASIC. Her current responsibilities include researching and developing the Programme on…
Sir John Thomson was a British Diplomat who was High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to the UN. He served as adviser to BASIC.
Christina Pena was BASIC’s Analyst and Programme Manager.
Dr Ian Davis is an independent human security and arms control consultant, writer and founding director of NATO Watch…