My research focuses on understanding threat actors (intentions and capabilities), as well as the vulnerabilities of potential targets of hostile activity and managing the impact of attacks. More specifically, my recent research has covered terrorist decision-making, terrorist propaganda and counter-terrorism (CT) communications strategies, the implications of emerging technologies for national security, and security threats to the UK from hostile states. I write for national newspapers and magazines on national security-related issues.

I have spent over thirty years working on responses to national security threats as a practitioner and academic. I have previously worked in the UK government at various levels up to deputy director before embarking on a second career in research. I was Director of National Security and Resilience at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Issues (RUSI) for five years (2015-20), before a brief stint as an associate professor at Swansea University's Cyber Threats Research Centre. In 2020-1 I was a Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow at the United States Institute for Peace. I was appointed Professor of National Security Policy and Practice at Coventry University in 2021, and in mid-2026 I became Director of the Centre for Peace and Security at Coventry.