Senior Analyst, RAND Europe

James is a senior analyst in the Defence, Security and Infrastructure (DSI) programme at RAND Europe. His work focuses on defence, geopolitical and strategic decision-making in the context of deep uncertainty, including research into the implications of the UK's decision to leave the European Union (“Brexit”) and the impact of emerging technologies on society and military operations. He has managed a wide range of quantitative and qualitative studies, primarily for the UK MOD, Dstl, EDA, NATO and the Australian and US DODs. He is also heavily involved in RAND Europe's wargaming workstream, including work designing the strategic exercise component of the Senior Course at the Royal College of Defence Studies, and other exercises at the NATO Defence College and elsewhere.

Research topics of interest include: the future of UK, EU, NATO and European defence (especially after Brexit); defence strategy and geopolitics; military force development and acquisition; defence innovation and industrial base issues; the impact of new technologies (e.g. autonomy, cyber, space); horizon-scanning; and transnational security issues (e.g. Arctic, Mediterranean security). His research has been featured in BBC News, the Financial Times, Politico, Prospect, Reuters and other outlets, as well as academic journals (e.g. Survival) and oral evidence to the UK Defence Select Committee.

Prior to joining RAND, he worked in the UK Parliament and graduated summa cum laude with a double MA-MSc in International Security from Sciences Po and the LSE. He also graduated with a BA Hons in History from the University of Cambridge, where he was a scholar.