ISWS supports clusters of faculty and Phd Students with shared research interests. Current research working groups include:
The Arctic and High North Security Working Group
The Arctic and High North are changing faster than almost any other region—a proverbial canary in the global coal mine—foretelling significant security challenges for Europe and the world. A rapidly warming environment is creating new commercial and trade opportunities while expanding polar communications technologies both enable and monitor human activities—precipitating renewed geopolitical competition. New research is needed to: (1) understand the significance, direction, and uncertainty of environmental, political, and technological changes in the Arctic/High North; (2) examine the impact of these trends on local Arctic communities; (3) analyze how these trends are interacting to produce different possible future security trajectories; and (4) develop strategies and mitigating measures to best navigate these envisioned future challenges and opportunities. The ‘Arctic and High North Security’ working group aims to build a community of interdisciplinary researchers to regularly exchange working papers and ideas, develop individual and collaborative grants, share networks, and cultivate sustained engagement with policymakers.
Current members: Dr. Adam Bower, Dr. Andrea Gilli, Dr. Ariadne Collins, Dr. Marc DeVore, Prof. Kristen Harkness, Dr. Luke Middup, Prof. Phillips O’Brien, Dr. Haley Rice, Dr. T.J. Young, Bastian Van Der Neut (PhD candidate).
Ukraine Working Group
The Ukraine Working Group was formed in March 2022 shortly after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. They have worked with a wide range of Ukrainian, British, and American government, parliament, military, and civil-society partners to coordinate strategy and assist Ukrainian defense. Members of the group have made two trips to Kiev during the war, in April 2023 and March 2024. For security reasons we have decided not to list individual members.