King's College London

The Future Threats Lab at King’s College London is a collaborative research, learning and creative space within the Department of War Studies. Taking a human-centric approach to the most serious threats facing communities and habitats worldwide, we bring together a diverse range of scholarly, policy, security, ethical and artistic perspectives within King’s and beyond.

In today’s world, where threats to humanity are increasingly complex, systemic and intractable, our research and engagement are more essential than ever. We aim to develop new methods and concepts to better understand and respond to the most serious threats facing humanity, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration through seminars, workshops, publications, and artistic exhibitions.

As part of the King’s Centre for Science & Security Studies, the Future Threats Lab is an inclusive community open to those working on a broad range of future threats and human-centred approaches to future security. We have a wide range of expertise to share, including on conceptualisations of future threats and the ideas that propel them; specific technologies and weapons systems; the political, social and psychological dynamics of future threats; new horizons of human expansion, such as in space; systemic and cascading threats, particularly in the environmental realm; and the potential for unethical and exploitative practice within solutions to existential threats.

The Future Threats Lab is directed by Dr Jeni Mitchell, Dr Pablo de Orellana, and Dr Eitan Oren.