Sophia Gaston is a British foreign policy researcher and geopolitical analyst focused on the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security theatres. She is the UK Foreign Policy Lead and Senior Fellow (London) at the global security think tank ASPI. She is also the Founder and Lead of the AUKUS Industry Forum. Additionally, Sophia is an Expert Associate at the National Security College and an Academic Fellow at the European Policy Centre.

Sophia's research explores how Britain can best advance its core strategic interests, respond to the rise of authoritarian states such as China and Russia, reinvigorate its closest alliances, integrate economic and national security, and build public consent for an ambitious global agenda. She has written influential studies on Transatlantic relations, the UK-China relationship, and emerging frontiers of governance, and has pioneered research on British public opinion regarding foreign policy.

Prior to joining ASPI, Sophia was Head of Foreign Policy at the Policy Exchange think tank, following three years as Director of the British Foreign Policy Group. She also previously served as Deputy Director and Head of International Research at the Demos think tank, where she conducted multi-country studies on the rise of populism and nationalism.

Research Interests

• British foreign policy
• Transatlantic relations
• UK-EU security relations and the war in Ukraine
• Security and strategic implications of the rise of China
• The UK’s role in the Indo-Pacific

Publications

• LSE Ideas – ‘Ask the Experts: What does Trump 2.0 mean for China?’  https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2024/11/21/ask-the-experts-what-does-trump-2-0-mean-for-china/
• The Strategist – ‘Seven things for Britain’s AUKUS review to fix’ https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/seven-things-for-britains-aukus-review-to-fix/
• The Spectator – ‘How Labour Should Deal with China’  https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-labour-should-deal-with-china/
• The Berlin Pulse – ‘Germany’s Zeitenwende is At Risk’https://baeb3dde-fa24-4c7e-9f65-2d00798c366a.usrfiles.com/ugd/baeb3d_de0999f78f7b4fd9b258a552e77f4af3.pdf
• The Next Era of UK-EU Security Relations https://policyexchange.org.uk/blogs/the-next-era-of-uk-eu-security-relations/
• Where Next on UK-China Engagement? The UK’s Evolving Priorities, Geopolitical Developments and China’s New Strategic Framework  https://bfpg.co.uk/2021/09/uk-china-relations-2021/
• Global Britain and Levelling Up: Strengthening the UK’s Democracy, Resilience and Security https://bfpg.co.uk/2021/06/global-britain-levelling-up/

Research Centres and Groups

• Centre for Grand Strategy