Sebastian Brixey-Williams

Executive Director
Risk Reduction | Nuclear Disarmament | International Organisations

Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Executive Director of BASIC.

A researcher, facilitator, and mediator, his areas of expertise and practice include multilateral nuclear diplomacy, strategic risk reduction, arms control, nuclear responsibilities, and nuclear weapons law. He leads the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities in collaboration with the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, University of Birmingham, in the context of which he is presently running a track II dialogue process in the Asia-Pacific.

Across the different dimensions of his practice, Sebastian is seized by the questions of how the practices of nuclear diplomacy can be strengthened to improve their outcomes; the relationships between nuclear weapons and wider existential risks such as the ecological crises of the Anthropocene; and how to enable the transition towards a more safe, secure and sustainable global security system.

A strong proponent of diversity and inclusion in the field, Sebastian provided the original thought leadership behind BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network and co-founded the breakfast series that produced the Gender, Think Tanks and International Affairs Toolkit (2021) with Chatham House and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Sebastian is a Gender Champion in Nuclear Policy, an ELN Mentor, and a member of the Younger Generation Leadership Network on Euro-Atlantic Security. Over 2020-2021, he was an N Square Fellow working to improve the sustainability of the nuclear policy field.

Sebastian has been invited to brief national and international policy forums, including the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Nuclear Disarmament, the UN-ROK Jeju Process, three UK All-Party Parliamentary Groups (on Drones, on Global Security and Non-Proliferation, and on Future Generations), and the UK House of Lords International Relations Committee.

Outside of work, Sebastian is a multi-instrumentalist who has been known to dabble with pianos, guitars, fiddles, accordions, synthesisers, and music production.

Contact Sebastian

Office: +44 20 3488 6974

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