Centre for the Study of Existential Risk

Today, we’re welcoming the very first cohort of students joining our MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience!

Cambridge disinformation summit (2026) - Cambridge Judge Business School Connect with Cambridge Judge! Explore our full calendar of upcoming events, learn about our programmes and connect with world-class speakers.

Call for Papers now open for the

Cambridge Disinformation Summit, 8-10 April 2026.

Research on systemic risks from technology that affects information streams or the amplification or monetization of disinformation.

Hosted with @mctd.bsky.social.

Information: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...

Research Stories: Remarkable people, groundbreaking work, global impact. In this series, our researchers talk about their work and the difference it is making around the world, from tackling climate… Dr Kennedy Mbeva

How can we address extreme risks?🚨

Kennedy Mbeva, Hughes Fellow and Research Associate at the Centre for Existential Risk at Cambridge, focuses his research on the governance of global catastrophic risk.🌎

Learn more about what that means⬇️
youtu.be/Nnig4ifEBOY?...
@cser.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk

-Sophie Cray, Postgraduate Co-ordinator. She has a broad background in Anthropology and Sociology which further led to her Master’s in Gastronomy. Her experience varies from being a Personal Assistant at Oxford University to interning with the World Food Programme in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

-Alana Weir, Teaching Associate with a focus on disaster risk. Alana’s research interests include developing effective disaster risk assessment methodologies and partnering with stakeholders at the science-practice-policy interface to enhance disaster risk management.

-Alexandru Marcoci, Assistant Professor with a focus on AI. He has previously been a Research Fellow at Clare Hall, as well as an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.

-Charlotte Christiane Hammer (@epihammer.bsky.social),
Assistant Professor. She specialises in outbreak science, pandemic preparedness & health security. She has over a decade of experience in infectious disease control, humanitarian operations & academic research & teaching in higher ed.

We’re looking forward to welcoming the very first cohort of our MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience next week!
Ahead of the start of term, we’d like to reintroduce our education team.

Find out more about the MPhil here: www.cser.ac.uk/education/mp...

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-Sophie Cray, Postgraduate Co-ordinator. She has a broad background in Anthropology and Sociology which further led to her Master’s in Gastronomy. Her experience varies from being a Personal Assistant at Oxford University to interning with the World Food Programme in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

-Alana Weir, Teaching Associate with a focus on disaster risk. Alana’s research interests include developing effective disaster risk assessment methodologies and partnering with stakeholders at the science-practice-policy interface to enhance disaster risk management.

-Alexandru Marcoci, Assistant Professor with a focus on AI. He has previously been a Research Fellow at Clare Hall, as well as an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.

-Charlotte Christiane Hammer (@epihammer.bsky.social), Assistant Professor. She specialises in outbreak science, pandemic preparedness & health security. She has over a decade of experience in infectious disease control, humanitarian operations & academic research & teaching in higher ed.

New paper 'Food trade disruption after global catastrophes' highlights how fragile global trade networks are under extreme shocks, and why preparing resilient food systems is urgent.
⬇️

➡️ Find out more and apply here: www.cser.ac.uk/people/join-...

📢 We are hiring a Teaching Associate!

The fixed-term role will support the delivery of the MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience.

The post is suited for someone wanting to increase their teaching experience and shape a new postgraduate course.

A very warm welcome to our Class of 2025 who start their Gates Cambridge journey today!

#gatescambridge25

@uniofcam.bsky.social @gatesfoundation.bsky.social

🌍 How are African countries managing the risks of a just transition?

New article by Ken Mbeva looks at how investment rules like the AfCFTA Investment Protocol are shaping climate action, foreign investment, and sustainable development.
⬇️
africanlegalstudies.blog/2025/09/19/h...

Curious about global catastrophic risks?
📖Our reading list offers a starting point with key resources on areas such as biorisk, natural risk and AI.
⬇️
www.cser.ac.uk/work/cser-re...

Fairness and hope A guest post by Dr SJ Beard, Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and author of a new book, 'Existential Hope'

Fairness and hope: A guest post by Dr SJ Beard, Research Affiliate at @cser.bsky.social and author of a new book, 'Existential Hope'

We’re hiring @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk for a postdoc in geopolitics of AI www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

🌿👉The Department's Dr Belinda Bell will be giving a talk entitled 'Climate change and asset owners: research-informed financial systems interventions'. Find out more here: www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/finance-for-...

Thank you to Professor Lorraine Daston for a fantastic lecture last night on how the insurance industry confronts catastrophic risk!

A recording will be available soon on our YouTube channel.

🌋 Excited to share my new essay in Aeon: one of the most underappreciated global risks isn’t an asteroid or supervolcano—it’s the eruptions we don’t see coming:

Applications for the next academic cycle at @uniofcam.bsky.social are now open. Provost Professor Eilis Ferran outlines the criteria you need to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. More here -https://www.gatescambridge.org. Just click on the apply tab at the top.

#gatescambridge25

🌟 Cambridge Judge Business School at Cambridge Tech Week 2025!
Join us at two events this month as we bring together leading voices to challenge assumptions and shape the future of innovation.

👉 Find event details and register: https://loom.ly/PhawfU8
#CambridgeTechWeek #CambridgeJudge #Tech

Excited to be invited to speak at Cambridge Zero's Safer Environments symposium on 6 Nov 🌍✨

I’ll be discussing zoonotic disease dynamics in forced migration alongside other colleagues tackling the intersections of infectious disease and climate - event details 👉 www.tickettailor.com/events/cambr...

📖Join us for the launch of "Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?", the latest book by political scientist and author Professor James Fishkin.

📆Thurs 18 Sept
🕠5:30 - 7PM
📍Provost's Lodge, King’s College

Register now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...

#Democracy @kingscollege.bsky.social

Thank you to James Bacchus for joining us at CSER last week to discuss his new book 'Democracy for a Sustainable World'.

His talk explored the urgent need for participatory democratic governance to address global challenges. Find out more about his book here: bit.ly/4mPfYeB

🚨 Open Call for new Steering Committee Members 🚨

Are you working on #risks from #extremeEvents under #environmentalChange?

Join us as Risk KAN Steering Committee member for the upcoming term: www.risk-kan.org/about-riskka...

www.risk-kan.org

@futureearth.bsky.social @wcrpclimate.bsky.social.

📌 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
• 📝 Abstract submission: 𝟯𝟬 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
• ✉️ Notification of decisions: 1𝟱 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
• 📄 Full draft submission: 𝟭𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
• 💻 Workshop: 𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲