UK PONI Annual Conference 2025

Attendees are requested to arrive at least 5 minutes before the conclusion of registration to guarantee they are seated for the start of the conference.

Welcome Remarks: Rachel Ellehuus, Director General, RUSI

Keynote Address: Madelaine McTernan, Chief of Defence Nuclear, UK Ministry of Defence

09:40 - 10:20 Presentations

Siege Mentality and the Shaping of Nuclear Deterrence
Adam Sharon, Graduate Student, University of Oxford

Fractured Truth, Fractured Deterrence: Navigating Nuclear Strategy in Post-Truth Currents
Molly Grace Doyle, Fellow

Large Language Models: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Nuclear Strategy
Leo Keay, PhD Candidate, King's College London

10:20 - 10:45 Panel Q&A

Moderator: Lukasz Kulesa, Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, RUSI

Coffee and tea will be available for conference attendees.

Introduction to the poster competition voting

11:30 - 12:10 Presentations

The NPT and Evolving Global Security Dynamics
Mhairi McClafferty, Policy Fellow, BASIC

Media and the Bomb: How Cultural Narratives Threaten Public Support for Non-Proliferation
Sophie Somerville Roberts, Undergraduate Student, University College London

Poland, the World’s Next Nuclear Power?
Theo Brown, Software Model Engineer, MASS Consultants LTD
Adam Harris, Software Model Engineer, MASS Consultants LTD

12:10 - 12:45 Panel Q&A

Moderator: Jamie Kwong, Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Lunch will be provided for conference attendees and there will be a further opportunity to view entries of the poster competition

Keynote Speaker: Nick Elliott CB MBE, Chief Executive Officer, AWE

Moderator: Darya Dolzikova, Senior Research Fellow, RUSI

14:15 - 14:55 Presentations

Lunar Surface Power: How to Keep the Lights on in Space
Grady Beckett, Innovation Engineer, Rolls-Royce

How can the United Kingdom Address its Dependence on Foreign Nations to Supply Critical Medical Radionuclides?
Jack Radcliffe, Mechanical Engineer, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies

Navigating Risk: Unlocking the Potential of Nuclear-Powered Commercial Shipping
Sadie Stewart, Security Consultant, UKNNL
Danielle Trembath, Security Consultant, UKNNL

14:55 - 15:30 Panel Q&A

Moderator: Brian Cameron, Programme Manager, Cavendish Nuclear

Coffee and tea will be available for conference attendees. There will be a final opportunity to view the entries of the poster competition

16:00 - 16:40 Presentations

The Development of Russian Nuclear Posturing and Brinkmanship Tactics in the Putin Era
Ciara Rushton, Master's Student, King's College London

Astro-Deterrence: Space, Nuclear Weapons and the War in Ukraine
Major Callum Gaskell, Royal Marines Officer, Royal Navy

Crises of Credibility: NATO, Strategic Misalignment, and the Future of Extended Deterrence in Europe
Bailey Schiff, Program Coordinator and Research Assistant, Center for Strategic and International Studies

16:40 - 17:10 Panel Q&A

Moderator: Catherine Kearney, Government Relations Manager, Rolls-Royce

Poster Competition Award and Closing Remarks

Drinks reception for all attendees