Dr Benedict Wilkinson is Director of Research in the Policy Institute at King’s College London.

He has conducted extensive research in the areas of defence and security policy, with a particular focus on terrorism, extremism and counter-extremism. Recent projects include research for the Commission on Countering Extremism and research for Phase II of the Global Internet Forum for Countering Terrorism.

Prior to joining the Policy Institute, Ben completed an ESRC-funded PhD under Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman in the Department of War Studies. He has previously worked at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where he was Head of Security and Counter-Terrorism, and at the Royal College of Defence Studies. He has written two books, his most recent on terrorism and extremism in the Middle East which was published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2020.