Sebastian Brixey-Williams is the Co-Director of BASIC, a London-based think tank promoting meaningful dialogue to build international trust, reduce nuclear risks and advance disarmament, alongside Marion Messmer. He is a nuclear weapons expert and mediator, with expertise in disarmament politics, risk reduction, emerging technologies, international law, and UK nuclear weapons policy.
His central area of practice is on fostering international dialogue on states’ responsibilities in relation to nuclear weapons. He leads the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities with Professor Nicholas J. Wheeler at the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, University of Birmingham. Their most recent publication Nuclear Responsibilities: A New Approach for Thinking and Talking about Nuclear Weapons (2020) aims to offer a way to shift the culture of global nuclear politics away from blame and towards responsibility.
A strong proponent of diversity and inclusion in the field, Sebastian established BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network and co-founded a breakfast series that produced the Gender, Think Tanks and International Affairs Toolkit(2021) with Chatham House and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Sebastian is a Gender Champion in Nuclear Policy, an ELN Mentor, and a member of the Younger Generation Leadership Network on Euro-Atlantic Security. He is a 2020-2021 N Square Fellow.
