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.
You can watch videos of our recent webinars and events on our YouTube channel. Follow British Pugwash and Student / Young Pugwash on X (Twitter) and Facebook.
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
A reminder of why nuclear weapons must never be used (VIDEO)
In the video below, Dr Ira Helfand, co-chairman of the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility, offers a timely reminder of the horrifying power of thermonuclear weapons and of the dire consequences of the political irresponsibility that has left Russia and the United States in possession of 10,000+ nuclear warheads thirty years […]
Note on nuclear risks and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (March 2022)
The below is a British Pugwash Note, prepared by Peter Jenkins CMG, Chairman of British Pugwash. It is titled ‘How high is the risk of nuclear weapon use following the Russian invasion of Ukraine?’ and is in PDF format here During an interview on 3 March Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, said: We have a […]
VIDEO: Small Modular Reactors – Talk by Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany
On Tues 26th April, British Pugwash hosted a talk and discussion on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), covering issues like costs, security and safeguards. The talk was given by Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany, Chief Nuclear Advisor at Lloyd’s Register and formerly the Head of Nuclear Safety Assessment Section at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
VIDEO: Technology & Peace Conference – SYP UK
On the 12th February 2022, Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK hosted its online Annual Conference on the theme of ‘Technology & Peace’. The co-hosts were University of Leicester’s Third Nuclear Age project. Full programme is here Video Workshop 1 – Emerging / digital technologies in warfare Workshop 2 – The politics and future of UK nuclear […]
VIDEO: Robot wars? Current and future challenges posed by drones and lethal autonomous weapons
On Thursday 25th November, British Pugwash and SYP UK’s Project on Ethical Science co-hosted a panel discussion on the technical, ethical and political challenges posed by drone warfare and lethal autonomous weapons (‘Killer Robots’). Speakers include: Dr Peter Burt, Researcher at Drone Wars UK (here), on technical / ‘state of play’ [Starts at 0mins25secs] Dr Ingvild […]
UK public opinion on ‘First Use’ of nuclear weapons (Oct 2021)
British Pugwash note: Two Thirds of UK Public Opposed to “First Use” of Nuclear Weapons (PDF report here) The “Interim National Security Strategic Guidance” of the United States, released on 3 March 2021, states that the Biden administration will take steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national security strategy, while ensuring that […]