Our Patrons are:
• Lord Martin Rees OM FRS
• Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS
• Sir Timothy Gowers FRS
• Sir Brian Heap FRS
• Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS
• Prof Margaret MacMillan CH
• General Sir Nick Parker KCB CBE
• Sir Hew Strachan DL FRSE FRHistS
• Prof Angela Vincent FMedSci FRS
Our activities include studies of science and policy issues, regular public discussion and education meetings, and engagement with politicians and government officials.
Our publications include in-depth scientific and policy research, as well as newsletters, our Annual Reports and reports from conferences and events.
Our youth wing, SYP UK, is also extremely active and publishes updates on news and events here
Current projects include research on the ethics of armed robotic systems, the potential impact of emerging technologies on nuclear weapon systems, the climate-nuclear nexus and continued work on future energy options for the UK.
Recent projects include the WMD Awareness public education campaign and efforts to establish a British Disarmament Institute.
British Pugwash is a membership organisation that brings together scientists and others concerned with international affairs and disarmament.
We are led by our Executive Committee and receive the support of nine Patrons.
The Executive Committee comprises:
• Peter Jenkins CMG (Chairman)
• Dr Ian Crossland (Treasurer)
• Dr Tim Street (Secretary)
• James Brady
• Dr Peter Collecott
• Dr David Ellwood
• Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany
• Andrew Gibson
• Dr Richard Guthrie
• Sally Milne
NPT States parties call for No-First-Use policies
British Pugwash is an advocate for NATO adopting a No First Use (NFU) nuclear policy. A public opinion poll we conducted earlier this year found that 48 percent of UK adults oppose the first use of nuclear weapons by the United Kingdom, and only 40 percent support first use. This finding builds on the results […]
New Podcast Episode!
📣 WE ARE BACK 📣 We know you have missed our podcast, so we have launched a third episode! Do you want to learn more about deterrence theory? Come listen to our newest episode! This time, SYP Board Member Jan Quosdorf interviews Dr. Polina Sinovets – director of the Odessa Center for Nonproliferstion. They talk […]
SYP Event: What to know about Oppenheimer
SYP UK will be hosting a webinar tomorrow July 26th at 3:30 BST on what to know before watching the second most anticipated movie of the summer (after Barbie). We will be joined in this webinar by Lilly Adams, Emily Faux and Mackenzie Knight. Please fill out the RSVP if you wish to attend: https://forms.gle/WimegwaZxFW8j8F1A
July 2023 Update: Nuclear Weapon Use Risk in Ukraine
In our last note on this subject (27 June) we drew attention to the fact that President Putin had publicly rejected calls from some Russian figures to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but appeared still to be playing with the idea that threats to Russia’s territorial integrity could justify the use of such weapons – a lower threshold […]
SYP Podcast: Second Episode is Out Now!
The second episode of the SYP Podcast is out now! In this episode, our SYP Coordinator Andrea is joined by Darya Dolzikova, from RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme. The Research Fellow shares what first inspired her to research nuclear issues, and then takes us on a journey to examine diplomacy and deterrence in both […]
Nuclear risk: and how we can work to reduce it- Video
On May 23 the Physics Department at Oxford University hosted two British Pugwash Executive Committee members (Dr David Ellwood and Dr Peter Collecott) who spoke on the subject of ‘Nuclear risk: and how we can work to reduce it’. Event description 90 years ago, while waiting to cross the road at Russell Square, the refugee […]