Dr Nicholas Wright, Senior Research Fellow at the ICCS, carried out a number of engagements in May to present his work on the neuroscience of decision-making and negotiation. Events included:

12 May, Institut des Etudes Avancees, Paris: Wright spoke on decision neuroscience at societal scale at a workshop on "Neuro-techniques at societal scales" that brought together leading neuroscience researchers.

18 May, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva: Wright spoke on the neuroscience of negotiation at a new course on neuroscience and security.

19-20 May, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, DC: Wright spoke on neuroscience and deterrence at the "21st Century Cross Domain Deterrence Initiative" workshop in Washington DC. Other speakers including Robert Jervis, Morton Halperin, Richard Betts, George Quester, Barry Posen, Charles Glaser, Jim Walsh, Michael Nacht, Avery Goldstein, Jon Lindsay and Erik Gartzke.

24 May Pentagon Joint Staff White Paper - Q&A: Wright spoke at a virtual Q&A following the release in March of a Pentagon Joint Staff White Paper to which he contributed, entitled "Assessing and Anticipating Threats to US Security Interests...A Bio-Psycho-Social Science Approach for Understanding the Emergence of and Mitigating Violence and Terrorism". 

Gen Votel in his Foreword to this volume provides the operational setting for this Q&A session:

"Success in the human domain depends on an understanding of the social, cultural, physical, informational, and psychological elements that influence human behavior.  This understanding requires an integrative, multi-disciplinary bio-psychosocial approach that acquires, analyzes, informs, and develops responses to interacting factors to the operational challenges our nation faces. This understanding will not only enable the United States to better address the biological, psychological, and social needs of our personnel, but will also serve to improve methods of developing awareness, and enhanced empathy for our allies' cultural and environmental contingencies and needs."

Find out more about Dr Nicholas Wright's policy work.