CTRG @ UCL

Next Conference Registration for the event The registration for the conference can only be done electronically here: The link is expected to be made available here in December 2025. Registrations will be accepted in...

🔜  Amber will be presenting updated research on unmet mental health needs at the Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals conference in April 2026. Details of programme and registration here: www.aetap.eu/next-confere...

👉 In her postdoctoral work, Amber continues to focus on these themes, collaborates regularly with practitioners including Theseus Fixated Risk Management and the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, supports many CTRG projects, and contributes to the research field through NABS+, IAPSS, and the CTRG.

👥  How targeted violence threat assessment is practically implemented across different regions and settings, to aid development of future teams. Published in an NCITE report: www.unomaha.edu/ncite/_files... and presented at NCITE’s 2024 conference: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcC-...

🏥  Unmet mental health needs, and their relevance to both violence prevention and safeguarding. Example study analysing Fixated Threat Assessment Centre data: doi.org/10.1080/1068...

Beyond binary: Analyzing closed‐source data to compare specific roles and behaviors within violent and nonviolent terrorist involvement Increasingly, studies compare risk and protective factors for involvement in violent and nonviolent terrorist behaviors. This exploratory study investigates whether this distinction is sufficient, or...

🔍  Identifying risk factors for specific terrorist roles and behaviours (e.g. radicalisation, fundraising, logistical support, attack-planning) to aid threat and risk assessment of operationally relevant outcomes. Example study analysing Prevent data: doi.org/10.1111/1556...

Amber is a Research Fellow at UCL. Her existing research focuses on three practitioner-oriented themes:

🔹 CTRG researcher spotlight series 🔹

In 2026 we’ll be highlighting regular CTRG spotlights to showcase what our researchers are up to. Stay tuned for more throughout the year!

💡CTRG researcher spotlight #1: @amberseaward.bsky.social💡

In the new year we will be posting regular spotlights on individual CTRG members and their research. Watch this space!

Mary-Ann Cherry, Philip Doherty, Sara Rubini, Ance Martinsone, Lujia Pei, Emily Mayrand, Shu Jia Chee, Valia Panagiotaropoulou, Tom Thornton, & Ellie Wong.

Thank you to all CTRG researchers for their hard work this year: @paulgillucl.bsky.social, @noemiebouhana.bsky.social, @sandyschumann.bsky.social, @zoemarchment.bsky.social, @caitlinclemmow.bsky.social, @amberseaward.bsky.social

Risk Assessment & Risk Management Brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to improve knowledge sharing and develop evidence-based approaches for assessing and managing the risks of terrorism and targeted violence.

🔍 Developed the IAPSS Community of Interest on Risk Assessment and Risk Management: join here crestresearch.ac.uk/iapss/coi/ri...

🏆 Achieved key publication milestones, including the 1st most cited paper in the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, and 2nd most cited in Terrorism and Political Violence, of those published between 2020-2024.

We’ve been developing our internal research community, including project and panel collaborations, welcoming new team members, and hosting several external guest speakers.

📣 Re-launched the CTRG with new social media profiles (LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ctrg...) and a website (counterterrorismresearchgroup.com).

🌎 Delivered 42 workshops and presentations, in 17 countries, across 4 continents. Audiences included HMPPS, NABS+, AETAP, VOX-Pol, Council of Europe, and House of Commons.

🔹CTRG in 2025🔹

2025 has been a productive year for the CTRG. We have:

📚 Published 22 journal articles, book chapters, and reports. Another 19 are accepted or undergoing peer review.

Caitlin Clemmow gave a seminar titled 'Public or private violence: unpacking the relationship between domestic abuse and violent extremism' at the University of St Andrews 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Ance Martinsone and Lujia Pei presented work from their PhD theses at AVERT 2025 in Melbourne, Australia to a diverse audience of academics and practitioners 🇦🇺

@sandyschumann.bsky.social and @caitlinclemmow.bsky.social have been selected to lead a new project funded by NABS+, titled: Identifying Paths of Engagement with The Com: A Mixed Methods Study. See more details of their and other projects here: lnkd.in/e2qpMrWV

Students engaged in a thought-provoking and poignant discussion. Student feedback was excellent - one attendee mentioned “this was the best panel discussion I ever went to". Thank you to Sandy, Resilience in Unity, and all speakers.

CTRG have been busy recently:

🔹 @sandyschumann.bsky.social chaired a panel discussion for UCL students, in collaboration with Resilience in Unity. The panel featured a former extremist, survivor of terrorism, and a counter-radicalisation practitioner.

Behavioral Sciences & the Law Call for Papers Fluid, Hybrid and Unstable Extremisms Behavioral Sciences & the Law is a peer-reviewed journal at the interface of law and behavioral sciences, providing a broad perspective on psycho-legal topics.

📢 Call for Papers

CTRG are pleased to announce a special issue co-edited by @paulgillucl.bsky.social, @caitlinclemmow.bsky.social, and Oliver Chan - Fluid, Hybrid, and Unstable Extremes. Now accepting submissions for Behavioral Science & the Law. See below 👇🏼

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal...

She will discuss what is currently known about this relationship, the mechanisms that might be behind it, and the implications for risk assessment, safeguarding and prevention.

Details can be found here: events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/publi...

🔹 Seminar on domestic abuse and violent extremism, by Dr. @caitlinclemmow.bsky.social 🔹

On 25/11/2025, @caitlinclemmow.bsky.social is giving a seminar titled 'Public or private violence: unpacking the relationship between domestic abuse and violent extremism' at the University of St Andrews.

Tomorrow is our UCL department's annual International Crime Science Conference. @sandyschumann.bsky.social will be chairing a panel on “Violence: from offline to online ... and back again” featuring panel speakers from M&C Saatchi World Services, London's Violence Reduction Unit, and Moonshot.

🔹 Last week, through her role at the Violence Prevention Network, Emily Mayrand attended Hedayah's international research conference in Brussels, Belgium 🇧🇪 .

More from the CTRG:

🔹 Next week is AVERT's International Research Symposium in Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 where Ance Martinsone & Lujia Pei will be presenting work from their PhD theses on grievance-fuelled violence and youth radicalisation: lnkd.in/dHAu7NWx

Tomorrow is our UCL department's annual International Crime Science Conference. @sandyschumann.bsky.social will be chairing a panel on “Violence: from offline to online ... and back again” featuring panel speakers from M&C Saatchi World Services, London's Violence Reduction Unit, and Moonshot.

🔹 Our latest paper was published in Psychology, Crime & Law, in collaboration with FTAC. This was led by @amberseaward.bsky.social and focuses on unmet mental health needs and the public health approach to threat assessment. Open access here: lnkd.in/epvRgn5M

🔹 CTRG had their quarterly research meeting with the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, where we discussed future research directions and data sharing plans.