King’s Teams with US, Aussie Experts on Defense Issues
Academics from the departments of War Studies and Engineering and the School of Politics and Economics have been awarded research project funding to collaborate with Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to tackle pressing global security and defence issues.
King’s, ASU and UNSW are partners in the PLuS Alliance, a collaboration aimed at solving global challenges. The PLuS Alliance offers an annual Security & Defence PLuS Seed Grant Scheme specifically designed to advance practical, policy-relevant solutions to pressing security and defence needs, including – but not limited to – priorities for AUKUS (the security alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.)
Following a competitive application process, eight innovative research collaborations have been funded, four of which are co-led by King’s academics. The selected projects span critical areas; from space to artificial intelligence, supply chains and great power competition.
The projects
- Establishing Guidelines for Successful Collaboration Between the Space Industry and Indigenous Communities (Dr Jeni Mitchell, Department of War Studies, School of Security Studies, SSPP)
- Strength and Energy Storage: Integrating Mechanical Defence Requirements into Next Generation Solid State Batteries (Dr Laura Lander, Department of Engineering, NMES)
- Fortifying Defence: A Strategic Blueprint for Trusted Semiconductor Supply Chains in AUKUS (Professor Harris Makatsoris, Department of Engineering, NMES)
- Navigating Great Power Rivalry Under the Conditions of Global Uncertainty (Professor Samuel Greene, School of Politics & Economics, SSPP)
Funded teams will meet in person to progress their research, co-develop a white paper for submission to government and defence stakeholders, and generate broader impact through public engagement.
Dr Jeni Mitchell, of the Department of War Studies, explained how the funding will specifically help her team’s aims:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/kings-academics-collaborate-with-australian-and-us-researchers-to-tackle-security-and-defence-challenges