A G7 Global Partnership initiative to understand and counter disinformation on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Combining research, outreach, training and policy engagement, our activities deliver evidence direct to decision-makers; detect real-time disinformation and develop tailored responses; produce long-term contextualised trend and impact assessments; foster and strengthen trusted sources and networks; engage key practitioners, sharing best practices and enable coordinated responses. I lead the King’s team, one of three initiative partners.
In response to international concern over high-containment laboratories, Dr Greg Koblentz and I established the Global Biolabs initiative in May 2021 to produce the first authoritative, publicly available resource on global BSL4 and BSL3+ labs. Co-leading teams at King’s and George Mason University, we identified notable trends in global data on these labs and on biorisk management at both the national and international level. Overall, there are several trends that raise biosafety and biosecurity concerns given the global boom in construction of high-containment labs, particularly where biorisk management oversight is weak.
In September 2022, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists launched a year-long Task Force composed of globally recognised experts to systematically examine the risks and benefits of research that could plausibly source a large disease outbreak. The Task Force deliberated collectively as a group, as well as with policy leaders, journalists, scientist, and civil society leaders at a specially convened conference, to systematically examine the risks and benefits of research that could plausibly source a large disease outbreak. I co-led the Task Force and acted as principal author of the final report—A Framework for Tomorrow’s Pathogen Research—launched at the United Nations in New York in February 2024. The report became a benchmark reference for responsible governance of high-risk pathogen research.
This archive, which I established and curate, encompasses Nicholas A Sims’ unique collection of documents spanning 50 years of multilateral negotiations on biological weapons. A public archive housed in the Department of War Studies at King’s, it is a distinctive resource for students, educators and practitioners. The archive was inaugurated by the UK Disarmament Ambassador to the UN, David Riley, at a launch event in May 2025 and is now being further developed as a teaching and research asset.