Dr Hillary Briffa
I am delighted to serve as a Mentor on the Women in Writing programme to support other women. As a Lecturer in Defence Studies, I deliver strategic education for members of the armed forces and civil servants attending the Royal College of Defence Studies.
My contemporary research interests are primarily related to questions of Grand Strategy and national security, particularly concerning small states – striving to understand how the actors who do not dominate the international system turn their vulnerabilities into opportunities. My historical research interests also encompass the First World War (particularly WWI propaganda), and anti-colonial movements in the 20th century.
However, my teaching portfolio across King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, Birkbeck, and UCL has spanned international relations theory, international security, war studies, and global politics so I am flexible and willing to supervise any exciting idea: if you’re passionate about your topic, I will be too!
Emily Brown
I’m a part-time PhD student in the department entering the later stages of my programme. My research focuses on representations of torture in American culture, and my academic background is what some might call a less than traditional approach to War Studies. I want to help mentor women who might not fit the expected mould of what a War Studies scholar typically looks like, and further the interdisciplinary reach of the department. My research interests are varied: media, culture, and representation; counterterrorism and US national security; and ethics, justice, and human rights.
Krisztina Csortea
Krisztina is a part-time PhD researcher in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. She received her BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and her MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. After graduating from the LSE, Krisztina joined Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, where she is now the Deputy Editor of the journal International Affairs. This journal is co-published by Chatham House and Oxford University Press and is a top-five ranked journal in the field based on impact factor. Krisztina’s research focuses on the Responsibility to Protect. She is particularly interested in prevention and protection under the second pillar of the concept.
Sarah-Louise Miller
Hi, my name is Sarah and I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of War Studies. My research is on the contribution of the Women’s Royal Naval Service and their American equivalent, the WAVES, to British and American Naval Intelligence in the Second World War. My MPhil research looked at the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and their involvement in air intelligence during the Second World War, and I have also carried out research on the women of the Special Operations Executive in WWII. I am very interested in recovering the history of women in intelligence work, an element that is often missing from existing research on the intelligence world.
I am interested in being a mentor because I well remember how important and valuable it was (and is) to me to be mentored as I progressed along my academic journey – mentoring is something I really believe in and enjoy!
Orion Noda
Orion Noda is a PhD Candidate at the Department of War Studies and King’s Brazil Institute – KCL and the Institute of International Relations – USP. His doctoral research is on nuclear weapons and the intersection of politics, culture, identity, and symbolism. His research interests are nuclear weapons politics; arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament; identity, culture, and symbolism; postcolonialism; International Relations theory; and International Security in general.
He holds an MA (Hons) in International Security from the University of Groningen and a BA in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais.
Orion chose to be a WiW mentor because, as a scholar of colour from the Global South, he somewhat understands the struggles of underrepresented groups and understands the importance of a support network. As a WiW mentor, he hopes to share his knowledge and expertise in academic writing to next generation female scholars interested in academia.
Helene Olsen
Biography not available.
Dr Saawani Raje
Dr Saawani Raje-Byrne is a lecturer at the KCL Defence Studies Department. Her areas of research and expertise include civil-military relations, security studies, military history, international security, diplomatic history, security and defence policy, with a particular focus on South Asian security. She completed her PhD at KCL this year, with her thesis titled: “Decisions in Crises: A history of Indian civil-military relations, 1947-71.” Prior to her PhD, Saawani did her MA in South Asian and Afghan Security Studies at the KCL War Studies Department, and received a BA in Human, Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge. She has a diverse teaching portfolio, having taught at the KCL War Studies as well as the Defence Studies Department for the past few years. Her publications include blog posts and articles on the Strife Blog and Journal, the Asia Dialogue (University of Nottingham) as well as an upcoming publication in the International History Review journal.
