Grady holds a master’s in physics from Warwick university where he specialised in condensed matter and plasma physics. Building on this, he moved to the University of Birmingham as a quantum materials chemist. Motivated by the threat posed by climate change and the draw of practical applications he pivoted into the nuclear industry.
He now works with Rolls-Royce as an analytical engineer working with their Terrestrial Advanced Modular Reactor team. In this role, he optimises plant designs to improve safety and performance of nuclear reactors.
Theo finished his college course in Information Technology in 2023. Building on this, Theo found his excitement for software development while undertaking a Level 4 apprenticeship in software engineering. He is now furthering his studies at MASS by undertaking a Level 6 apprenticeship as a software developer.
Theo has always had an interest in PONI and the work that the group do, having attended multiple of their events and sessions in London, which makes a nice change of scenery from the countryside.
Brian has over 30 years’ experience leading programmes delivering enhanced asset availability and lifetime extensions across Defence, Civil and Naval Nuclear. Brian is the Programme Director delivering a major Defence equipment capability upgrade, as part of an innovative supplier partnership. Previously Brian performed roles as Cavendish Nuclear’s Defence Business Development Director and Technical Services Director responsible for nuclear operations in support of EDF Energy’s fleet of nuclear reactors. Before joining Cavendish Nuclear Brian had an extensive career within the Ministry Of Defence transforming delivery performance and latterly a rationalised delivery model for the Defence Equipment and Support Agency.
Darya Dolzikova is a Research Fellow with RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme. Her work focuses on understanding and countering the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology and strategic aspects of civil nuclear technology. She has conducted research on the Iranian nuclear programme and related diplomacy, Iranian and North Korean proliferation-related sanctions evasion, nuclear safety in Ukraine, the role of Russia in global civil nuclear supply chains, and other issues relating to nuclear technology and proliferation.
Prior to joining RUSI, Darya had served as the manager of government relations and policy development at Canada’s national aerospace industry association. She also has experience working in the due diligence sector and on defence-related issues in Canada’s Parliament.
Darya holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a BSocSc in International Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Ottawa.
Molly Grace Doyle is a recent graduate with a master's degree in international affairs and a concentration in nuclear policy from George Washington University. Her work encompasses nuclear law and policy, including emerging legal challenges posed by new technologies. Her graduate work explored extended deterrence, the future of arms control, and security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region. Previously, Molly was a Graduate Fellow at the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, contributing to transparent stockpile stewardship and industrial-base monitoring.
Major Callum Gaskell joined the Royal Marines in 2016 and has served on global deployments as a Troop Commander, Fire Support Group Commander and Company Second in Command amongst other positions. Between 2023-2025 he was employed as a security adviser for UK nuclear deterrence operations and the AUKUS programme. His current role is coordinating cyber and electronic warfare effects in support of Royal Navy operations.
Callum holds a BScEcon in International Politics from Aberystwyth University, an MA in International Relations from Queen Mary University London, and is a current PhD student at Keele University. His PhD research is centred on how the use of the space domain in the Ukraine conflict will affect global nuclear deterrence.
Rachel Ellehuus became Director-General of RUSI on 6 January 2025.
Rachel joined RUSI after serving nearly three years at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as the United States Secretary of Defense Representative in Europe and Defense Advisor to the United States’ Mission to NATO.
Prior to that, she was Deputy Director of the Europe and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC and a Senior Advisor at WestExec Advisors. Previously, she served in multiple roles in the U.S. Department of Defense to include Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy. Her time in the Pentagon also included an exchange to the UK Ministry of Defence's Strategy Unit, where she worked on the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Rachel has numerous publications to her name, most recently Europe’s High-End Military Challenges (2022) and The Challenge of Political Will in Europe (2022). She holds a BA from Colgate University and a MA from the College of Europe.
Nick Elliott joined AWE as Chief Executive Officer in March 2024. Nick is an experienced senior business leader, having led major delivery organisations in defence, infrastructure, and government – including the UK Vaccine Taskforce where he was Director General during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nick began a distinguished career in defence serving in the Royal Engineers. In subsequent senior business roles, he has been responsible for delivering some of the biggest rail infrastructure projects in the UK. He was also Deputy CEO of Defence Equipment & Support, the professional acquisition and support organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence. Nick has been a non-executive director on the Board of the Submarine Delivery Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
He is currently a nonexecutive director of Helsing Ltd, a software and Artificial Intelligence company. He is a serving member of the Staff Corps, and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, the Chartered Management Institute, and the Institute of Royal Engineers.
Adam is a software model engineer and has worked for MASS Consultants in Corsham, Wiltshire ever since he graduated from Loughborough University in 2023 with a degree in Maths and Computer Science. Whilst Adam works in a technical role, he’s always had a strong interest in global politics, which is the focus of his presentation.
Adam is keen to take part in PONI in order to widen his knowledge on the political nature of the wider nuclear industry.
Cat joined Rolls-Royce in September 2024 as a Government Relations Manager. She is an experienced Government Relations and Policy professional who specialises in Military Capability and Operational Risk. With over 10 years experience, she has worked in central Whitehall departments, deployed to operational headquarters both in the UK and overseas, and has now transitioned to the Private Sector to support the Defence Nuclear Enterprise through industry. Cat enjoys attending music festivals (when the rain holds off) and learning DIY to renovate her first home. Cat is passionate about encouraging people to study STEM subjects and to support those from lower socio-economic backgrounds during their studies and early careers.
Rolls-Royce has been a key sponsor of UK PONI since its inception in 2010 and has provided presenters and attendees at every annual conference and other events since. Rolls-Royce encourages UK PONI to address issues relevant to the nuclear defence and civil industry and to develop the project’s reach outside of London.
Leo A. Keay is a PhD candidate in Defence Studies at King’s College London. His research focuses on artificial intelligence and strategic decision-making, specifically exploring the potential of large language models for modelling nuclear crisis escalation.
Drawing on four years of experience as a parliamentary staffer, as well as work at the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Security Council, he combines policy experience with an expertise in emerging and disruptive technologies. Leo has presented his work at Oxford University’s Changing Character of War seminar programme and is currently collaborating with the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security.
Lukasz Kulesa is the Director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). The PNP group conducts research and convenes dialogues on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons issues, as well as WMP non-proliferation and the nexus between civil and military nuclear programmes.
His personal research interests include nuclear and conventional deterrence, arms control, Euro-Atlantic security, NATO and Russian security policy, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the transatlantic security relationship.
Prior to joining RUSI, Lukasz was Deputy Head of Research Office at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Warsaw). He also worked as Research Director at the European Leadership Network (ELN), and as Deputy Director of the Strategic Analyses Department at the Polish National Security Bureau, a body providing aid and support to the President in executing security and defence tasks.
Lukasz holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies from the Central European University and is a graduate of the law department of the Jagiellonian University.
Jamie Kwong is a Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on nonproliferation issues, the Korean Peninsula, and multilateral regimes including the P5 Process and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. She has also conducted novel research on the climate change-nuclear weapons nexus. She previously served as a research assistant at the Centre for Science and Security Studies and in the Nuclear Policy Programme at the Royal United Services Institute. Kwong holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, where she studied as a Marshall Scholar.
Mhairi McClafferty is a Policy Fellow at BASIC, where she has worked on the Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities since 2022. Prior to joining BASIC, she was a Project Intern at UN House Scotland, where she supported the Nuclear Disarmament and Human Rights projects.
Her research interests include nuclear diplomacy, conflict resolution, and examining nuclear weapons from humanitarian and gender perspectives. She holds a Master's degree in Diplomacy and International Security and Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Strathclyde. During her undergraduate studies, she also participated in the Erasmus Exchange Programme at the University of Groningen.
Maddy is Chief of Defence Nuclear/2PUS at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Additional Accounting Officer for the Defence Nuclear Organisation.
Between December 2020 and September 2022, she was Director General of the Vaccine Taskforce (VTF), a joint unit of BEIS and DHSC, responsible for securing COVID-19 vaccines for the UK, our international donation programme an working with industry to onshore vaccine production. She has made Companion of the Order of Bath for her work on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before her appointment as Director General in December 2020, Maddy was the lead negotiator for the VTF. Maddy was also the Director for the HRT Task Force for DHSC in 2022. Prior to this Maddy was a Director at UK Government Investments (UKGI) and a non-executive director of UK Export Finance.
Before joining the public sector, Maddy was a Managing Director and Head of UK Mergers and Acquisitions at the investment bank Credit Suisse. She is also a qualified lawyer, having studied law at Trinity College Cambridge and qualifying at Freshfields, working in London, Bangkok and New York.
Maddy was an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Finance at Cass Business School between 2013 and 2016 and holds an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University.
Jack Radcliffe is currently a Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprentice at AWE and holds an HND in Chemical Engineering. He previously completed a 15-month placement at Sellafield with a focus on fluid dynamics, decontamination, and radiochemistry. His time there sparked a growing interest in science communication and how it can impact public perception of the nuclear industry.
Combined with a longstanding interest in international politics, this led to his UK PONI Research Topic on how the nuclear industry can help save lives: 'How can the United Kingdom address its dependence on foreign nations to supply critical medical radionuclides?'
Ciara Rushton is a recent BA History and Politics graduate from Magdalen College, University of Oxford, and has spent the last year completing an MA in Intelligence and International Security at King’s College London. She is a Marie-Sklodowska Curie fellow with the International Atomic Energy Association and has worked as a research assistant at the RUSI Centre for Finance and Security.
Her research focuses on nuclear signalling and the role of nuclear weapons in the foreign policy of authoritarian states, with a particular interest in Russia and China
Bailey Schiff is a program coordinator and research assistant with the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Prior to joining CSIS, Bailey was a political intern in the Department of State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and a legislative intern in the Senate with a foreign policy, national security, and defense portfolio. She holds a BA in international studies from the School of International Service at American University, with concentrations in security and the Middle East.
Adam Sharon is an MPhil candidate in International Relations at the University of Oxford, specialising in political psychology and security studies. He explores how fear and perceived threat influence political decision-making. His dissertation focuses on siege mentality—a society’s persistent belief that it faces existential threat from the international community—and its impact on national deterrence strategies, using Israel as a case study.
Adam previously worked at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel-Aviv, where he researched Middle Eastern security and co-authored analyses on the foreign policies of Egypt and Jordan.
He has also examined how insecurity and political violence shape voter behaviour in Israel, particularly the shift from moderate to more radical right-wing parties. This work reflects his broader interest in how fear drives political choices at both domestic and strategic levels.
He holds a First-Class Honours degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
Sophie Somerville Roberts is an undergraduate student at University College London, studying for a BSc in Politics and International Relations. Going into her second year of studies, she has a growing interest in defense policy, especially long term strategic policy.
With this interest in mind, she is looking to further her understanding of media, social media and wider influences on youth political attitudes. Alongside an interest in strategic policy, she is also interested in the developing capabilities of AI to predict future conflict and instability.
Sadie Stewart is a Graduate Security Consultant working in the Security Assessment and Safeguards team at the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory. Since starting the graduate programme, she has worked on both technical and R&D projects, including work on Secure by Design, the Economics of Small Modular Reactors, and Nuclear Maritime Applications.
Prior to joining UKNNL, Sadie studied an MSc in Counterterrorism at Cranfield University, studying a variety of modules including Risk, Crisis and Resilience, Protecting Critical National Infrastructure, and CBRN Terrorism. Her thesis was titled: ‘Run, Hide, Tell’: Applicability of Pre-Event Communication to IED Terrorist Attacks.
For undergraduate study, Sadie studied an LLB in Law at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2023.
Danielle Trembath has experience in both the Security and Safety environments. Having studied Intelligence, Security, International Relations and Politics at Kings College London and the University of Bradford, she embarked on a career with UKNNL as a Safety Case Advisor, supporting Safety Case production and management of its implementation.
In recent years, Danielle has developed her capabilities, by transitioning to the role of Security Consultant for the Security Assessment and Safeguards team at UKNNL. She has advised on, and helped progress nuclear projects focussed on nuclear medicine and americium extraction, as well as, providing valuable outputs on security enhancement projects at UKNNL’s active facilities. Proactively, engaging with stakeholders, such as, customers, colleagues and the regulator, Danielle has worked on innovative thinking to security solutions. This was recently illustrated through her work and subsequent production of a paper on ‘Theft and Sabotage Assessment of Nuclear Maritime Applications’.
