Co-Director
Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC, alongside Marion Messmer, where he works to build international trust, reduce nuclear risks and advance multilateral disarmament.
Sebastian’s practice centres around trust and confidence-building between nuclear possessor and non -possessor states, applying principles drawn from mediation, conflict resolution and conflict transformation to nuclear diplomacy in order to break through existing deadlocks. Since 2016, Sebastian has been the Director of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities: a multi-year diplomatic initiative which serves to foreground states’ conceptions of their responsibilities around nuclear weapons and the global norms by which they abide.
Sebastian is also interested in finding new ways to engage and educate the general public on nuclear weapons issues, through multi-stakeholder collaborations with the media, private sector and artists. Sebastian regularly appears in the national and international media for comment on international security and nuclear weapons policy issues. He has published in Arms Control Wonk, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the European Leadership Network, and the World Economic Forum, and his work has recently featured on BBC News, BBC Radio 4, CGTN, The Economist, Forces TV, The Guardian, and Sky News. He has addressed three All-Party Parliamentary Groups – on Drones, on Global Security and Non-Proliferation, and on Future Generations – and has been called to give evidence to the House of Lords International Relations Committee.
Sebastian is a member of the Younger Generation Leadership Network and the co-founder of the Gender, Think Tanks and International Affairs breakfast series with Chatham House and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. He holds a first-class degree from the University of York in English and Related Literature, and a first-class Master’s in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where he received the Postgraduate School’s Prize.
Expertise:
Office: +44 20 3488 6974
Discover below Sebastian’s posts ordered from newest to oldest
We seek in this report to suggest ways, and crucially propose a new method, to gradually shift the nature of the contemporary global conversation on nuclear weapons away from one characterised by rights, blame, and suspicion towards one framed by responsibility, empathic cooperation, and even trust.
We are delighted to share this new short chapter, ‘Prospects for Game-Changers in Detection Technology’,…
The Times’ Lucy Fisher reported yesterday that the Royal Navy (RN) has been alternating between…
This article was co-authored with Professor Nicholas J. Wheeler, Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security…
What are the Netherlands’ responsibilities around nuclear weapons?
What are ‘nuclear responsibilities’ and what are they for? Find out everything you need to know about the BASIC-ICCS Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities.
Tim Westmyer, the host of the Super Critical Podcast, invited BASIC’s Co-Director Sebastian Brixey-Williams to…
This parliamentary briefing was issued in advance of the Debate on the report from the International Relations Committee ‘Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’, Tuesday, 16th of July 2019. This is an opportunity to consider the ways in which the UK can reduce nuclear risks globally, and engage in meaningful multilateral disarmament processes ahead of the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
Our dedicated and professional team brings a diversity of expertise, approaches and perspectives. Meet its members below.
Marina Favaro is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
Sophie McCormack is a Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC.
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 is a Researcher on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities with BASIC and the ICCS, University of Birmingham.
Rishi Paul is a Senior Nuclear Policy Analyst at BASIC and leads our engagement in Southern Asia.
Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC and Director of the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities.
Read more about our main contributors and browse their latest content and publications.
Zara Rizvi joined BASIC in September 2016 to support the daily office operations and to help develop our communications strategy.
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…