On 3rd February at 6pm, Leeds Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK will host a discussion with Fabian Hamilton MP on the UK’s role in nuclear non-proliferation and arms control.
Fabian is the Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament and the MP for Leeds North East.…
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’).
Student / Young Pugwash (SYP) is a network of students, researchers and younger people interested in a wide range of peace and security issues.…
British Pugwash Note (Nov 2021) is below and in PDF here. The full report here.
British Pugwash commissioned a study from Harry Spencer, a postgraduate scholar at the University of Birmingham, which addresses the capabilities and effectiveness of current and near-future missile defence against traditional and hypersonic missiles.…
On 28th and 29th October, members of British Pugwash’s Executive Committee were pleased to participate in a series of discussions on the future of arms control, Russia-West relations, and future Pugwash activities.…
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 the U.S.…
On Tuesday 19th October, Oxford Student/Young Pugwash hosted an online event on the ‘challenge of UK radioactive waste disposal’.
The speaker was Dr Ian Crossland. Ian is an engineer with over 50 years experience in the nuclear industry, with a focus on decommissioning and radioactive waste management.…
This year’s post-AGM Lecture was held on 22nd September.
The title was: ‘Missile Defence and Strategic Stability in the Hypersonic Age’
It was given by Harry Spencer, a postgraduate at University of Birmingham, speaking about his ongoing research with British Pugwash on missile defence systems, hypersonics and strategic stability.…
British Pugwash is pleased to release newly commissioned research about the potential impacts of climate change on the UK’s nuclear weapons infrastructure.
The report, by Dr Sally Brown from Bournemouth University, is titled ‘Risks of sea-level rise to ports and associated facilities aligning with the Trident programme: A focus on Coulport, Faslane, Barrow-in-Furness and Devonport’.…
In the first episode of Student/Young Pugwash UK’s Project on Ethical Science podcast series, Niamh Healy (UCL) sat down with Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge.…
Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK’s Niamh Healy caught up with Prof. Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, to discuss the ethical and social aspects of science and technology.
Questions covered:
• Why should scientists engage with the public?…
Statement prepared by Pugwash Conferences and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Released on 7th June.
The below is a summary of and link to a commentary by Ambassador Peter Jenkins, Chair of British Pugwash.
The United Kingdom government recently announced, in the context of an integrated policy review, that it will move to an overall nuclear weapon stockpile of no more than 260 (from a previous target of no more than 180) and that it will extend its longstanding policy of deliberate ambiguity by no longer making public figures for its operational stockpile, deployed warheads and deployed missiles.…
Student/Young Pugwash UK’s Project on Ethical Science held two events in June 2021.
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A virtual careers event exploring different opportunities available to STEM graduates.…
Topics covered in the British Pugwash April 2021 Newsletter include:
The newsletter can be found online here…
British Pugwash is troubled to note the UK Government’s decisions, announced in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, to increase the UK’s stockpile of nuclear warheads and no longer to reveal the number of these weapons that will be kept operational.…
Throughout March, Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK ran a series of online ‘peace workshops’, bringing together international researchers and policy practitioners to discuss opportunities for international co-operation, arms control and peace.
Some of the sessions were recorded (below).…
In this SYP UK webinar, Dr Kanta Dihal (Leverhulme Future of Intelligence Centre) discussed her work on Decolonising AI and Julia Slupska (Digital Ethics Lab) talked about feminist cybersecurity.
The Chair was Niamh Healy (UCL), SYP UK President.…
This British Pugwash talk covered the history, science and ethics of radioactive waste management in the UK.
Our guest speaker was Dr Ian Crossland, a specialist with more than 50 years’ experience of the nuclear industry (here).…
In this webinar, SYP UK hosted Riley Taitingfong and Dr Hilding Neilson discussed science and technology from the perspective of Indigenous communities.
Riley Taitingfong, a PhD candidate at UCSD (here), introduced her work on gene drives on Pacific Ocean islands in the context of historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and military experimentation.…
This SYP webinar looked at the role of tech workers and STEM students in efforts to challenge the rise of lethal autonomous weapons (‘killer robots’).
Our guest speaker was Taniel Yusef (WILPF UK), who is researching the views of and current regulatory frameworks for STEMists working on robot-relevant tech.…
In this webinar, SYP UK hosted Adina Pintilie, who specialises in applying open sources to research tasks at Ridgeway Information (bio here). Her work involves finding new tools and refining novel research techniques, particularly supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).…
In December 2019, International Pugwash hosted a workshop on hypersonic weapons in Geneva.
The meeting brought together 30 participants from various continents, including current and former government officials, scientists, engineers, academics and experts from think tanks and other non-governmental organisations.…
On 3rd August (5pm), Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) hosted its third webinar.
The guest speaker was Sahil Shah, a Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network and expert on the Iran Nuclear Deal (‘JCPOA’).…
SYP UK held its second webinar, on the ethical, political and technical issues around lethal autonomous weapons (or ‘killer robots’), on 30th June 2020.
Speakers included:
The webinar was chaired by Orlanda Gill, a University of Warwick graduate.…
SYP UK held its first webinar, on the topic how COVID-19 is affecting the fields of arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament (16th June 2020)
The guest speaker was Sebastian Brixey-Williams, Co-Director of the arms control think tank British American Security Information Council (BASIC).…
Topics covered in the British Pugwash June 2020 Newsletter include:
The newsletter can be found online here…
Royal Society / Pugwash Collaboration:
People of Science – Sir Jo Rotblat (featuring Prof Brian Cox & Lord Martin Rees)
We are delighted to announce that the Royal Society video on Pugwash and its founder (Sir Joseph Rotblat) is now available on YouTube (here).…
A study commissioned by British Pugwash from Harry Spencer, a postgraduate scholar at the University of Birmingham, has been published online here. The study addresses the capabilities and effectiveness of current and near-future missile defence against traditional and hypersonic missiles.…
