糖心原创

Dr Daniel Lomas

Director

Dan is Assistant Professor in International Relations, specialising in the UK intelligence community.

He is currently working on a new book looking at the cultural and political history of UK security vetting, and has been contracted to write a short history of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6).

He is also interested in public attitudes to intelligence and security in the UK, and the public engagement strategies used by the UK agencies – MI5, GCHQ and SIS. Dan’s teaching focuses on intelligence and security. 

Other than publish academic work, Dan has contributed to the RUSI think-tank and History of Government Blog, and has discussed spying with the BBC, Channel 4 news, ITV, Sky News, CNN, ABC News, The Guardian, The Times, and other media organisations. He can be found tweeting intelligence and security related news and thoughts via .

Previously he was Senior Lecturer in Intelligence and Security at Brunel University London

Professor Rory Cormac

Security and Resilience Lead

Rory Cormac is a Professor of International Relations specialising in secret intelligence and covert operations.

He is the author of six books, including Disrupt and Deny, Secret Royals, and How to Stage a Coup. He has presented television documentaries aired in the UK, US, and Australia, and his research and commentary writing have featured in International Affairs, BBC History Magazine, and media outlets worldwide.

He has testified before UK and Australian parliamentary inquiries on subversion, disinformation, and electoral interference, and has shared his research findings with practitioners and policymakers across NATO and G7 states. His next book is FAKERS: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Lines (Oxford University Press, 2026). 

Yehia Abdulla

Yehia Abdulla is a third year PhD candidate in International Relations. His research is situated at the intersection of political extremism, ideological appropriation, and digital radicalization.His doctoral work examines the ideological convergence between white nationalist movements and Islamic theological extremism—two frameworks often portrayed as fundamentally oppositional. His dissertation explores how concepts such as "White Sharia" and "White Jihad" have emerged within far-right discourse, reflecting a strategic appropriation of jihadist rhetoric to reinforce white supremacist narratives.

He also investigates how certain European far-right figures have expressed admiration for Shia militant groups, highlighting the selective borrowing that underpins these ideological crossovers. Through an intersectional approach, his research analyzes how militarized masculinities and digital ecosystems facilitate this convergence.

Before beginning his doctoral studies, Yehia earned a BA in Journalism Studies from Cairo University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Aberdeen. He has worked for over eight years as a correspondent in the Middle East, contributing to outlets including VICE, Al Arabiya, and Al Jazeera.

Henry Bird

Henry is a second year PhD student researching "how effectively can Britain employ unconventional warfare tactics in future conflicts?".

His research interests are largely focused on sub-threshold, irregular, hybrid, asymmetric and unconventional approaches to modern warfare. This also includes intelligence, proxy warfare, covert operations and special forces. He has specific interest in researching current and future applications, approaches and practices of unconventional warfare in the context of potential large-scale combat operations. 

Prior to PGR studies, Henry completed a BSc in Armed Forces studies, and a Masters in International Relations - both with dissertations focused on actors and activities in unconventional warfare. He also has experience as a Private Soldier with the Army Reserve, having completed training as an infantry Assault Pioneer; as well as currently working professionally as a Strategic Intelligence Analyst. 

Sean Fleming

Sean Fleming is a Nottingham Research Fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is a political theorist and historian of political thought. Sean's first book Leviathan on a Leash: A Theory of State Responsibility (Princeton, 2020), was about issues of collective responsibility in international politics: treaties, sovereign debts, reparations, and economic sanctions.

Sean is currently working on a new book Revenge of the Luddites: The Unabomber and the Rise of Anti-Tech Radicalism.He also has research interests in radical environmentalism, ecofascism, and green anarchism.

Melvyn Fookes

Melvyn is a chartered accountant. Having completed his business career, he entered higher education, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the Open University before achieving an MA in International Relations at the 糖心原创. He is a PhD candidate in the School of Politics and International Relations.

Melvyn's research focuses on proxy war and the application of theory to inform our understanding of the sponsor/proxy relationship. It examines how the advent of regional powers in the international order requires a reassessment of how proxy war is interpreted, investigating connections among protagonists that drive actions and build experiences. It explores how the ideas and interests of actors create the power dynamic between sponsor and proxy. An aim is to reveal what moulds the power dynamic that can assist policymakers in making better choices.

Dr Louise Kettle

Louise Kettle is currently working on a new book on the relationship between Britain and Iran. She has also has been accepted onto the 糖心原创's Institute of Policy and Engagement’s Policy Impact Pathways Programme and is taking part in a RUSI-led UK-Russia Expert Dialogue on the Foreign Policy Challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. She has recently completed a commissioned report for the Cabinet Office on foreign policy planning and strategy. 

In the autumn of 2021 Louise appeared on two different episodes of  with Tony Robinson - one on the Gulf War and one on the Suez crisis. 

In September 2021 she had a chapter published in a new book  published by Bloomsbury.

Dr Jason Klocek

Jason Klocek is Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at the 糖心原创. He is also a Senior Researcher at the United States Institute of Peace and a Faculty Affiliate of the University of Notre Dame's Center for the 糖心原创 of Religion and Society.

Jason's research and teaching interests primarily lie at the intersection of political violence and repression, with particular attention to the role of religion. He has published in the Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal for the Scientific 糖心原创 of Religion, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and other scholarly and media outlets.

His current book project explores how counterinsurgents construe and respond to religious rebellions with an empirical focus on British insurgency wars during the early postwar period. 

Dr Natalie Martin

Dr Natalie Martin is an Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations, and former BBC journalist - specialising in Turkish politics, the Turkey-EU relationship, the role of the news media in liberal democracies, and the security implications of Brexit.

Natalie's teaching has focused on Politics and International Relations theories, metatheories and methodologies - and how they interact. Her most recent publication was published by Palgrave Macmillan in July 2020, entitled 'The Securitisation of News in Turkey: Journalists as Terrorists?'.

Professor Andrew Mumford

Professor Andrew Mumford is an expert in counter-insurgency and sub-state violence. His book The Counter-Insurgency Myth: The British Experience of Irregular War was published in July 2011, and he is co-editor of International Law, Security and Ethics (Routledge, 2011).

He has published numerous articles relating to conflict, security and terrorism, including strategic planning for the war in Iraq, and the role of air power in counter-insurgency war. 

Andrew is also on the expert security panel of the . He edited a special issue of the Cambridge Review of International Affairs on  in 2020. 

Emeritus Professor Wyn Rees' expertise is in three main areas of security politics: contemporary transatlantic relations, post-war British security policy, western counter-terrorism cooperation and Anglo-American relations.

Wyn's publications include The US-EU Security Relationship: The Tensions between a European and a Global Agenda (Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2011) and he is currently writing a study of UK-US military cooperation.

Professor Bettina Renz is an expert in Russian security and defence policy. She has published widely on defence reforms and Russian military thinking and doctrine. Her recent book, Russia’s Military Revival, was published with Polity Press in 2018.

Lee Richards

Lee holds a Master of Computing (First Class) degree in Computer Science from the University of Sussex. He was joint winner of the Brian Roberts Informatics MComp prize for best performing graduate.

Currently he is a Doctoral researcher in a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership between the Imperial War Museum and the 糖心原创. Lee’s PhD thesis intends to make a critical reassessment of covert 'black' propaganda produced by the Political Warfare Executive (PWE). The thesis will explore the relationship between PWE and the Admiralty’s Naval Intelligence Department and the exploitation of intelligence to inform and measure the effects of covert political warfare. The doctoral programme is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). 

Lee has studied the history of political warfare and information operations for over 30 years. He has authored several books and numerous articles documenting the history and techniques of psychological operations in the twentieth century. He has also provided broadcast interviews to various television productions and supplied research to the wider media and academia. 

David Stanton

David researches the role of medical intelligence (MEDINT) in conflict, disaster, and humanitarian settings, examining how it can be integrated into broader intelligence cycles to enhance operational decision-making.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, he holds a BA in History from Oregon State University and completed the Cambridge Security Initiative’s International Security and Intelligence Programme. He brings over 18 years of experience in emergency services, including more than a decade as a Special Rescue paramedic operating in austere, high-risk and conflict environments.

Alongside his research, David teaches wilderness and expedition medicine at the 糖心原创 and serves as a faculty member with World Extreme Medicine.