Lancaster University: Lancaster research among new CREST projects to tackle national security threats
The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) led by Lancaster University has announced a further 11 newly commissioned projects that will seek to address security threats facing the UK.
Earlier this year, CREST offered £1.25m to fund innovative proposals within its latest round of commissioning. After a rigorous and independent review process, 11 successful projects were selected including two from the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University:
Dr Nicola Power, Lancaster University. The Psychology of Interoperability: Building Better Multi-Agency Counter-Terrorism Training (INTEROP).
Anastasia Kordoni, University of Lancaster. Detecting Hybrid Social Identities: A Computational Analysis of Influence and Resilience in Online RWE Communities.
Commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, CREST is funded by the UK’s Home Office and security and intelligence agencies to deliver a world-class, interdisciplinary portfolio of activity that maximises the value of behavioural and social science research into security threats.
Speaking about the announcement the Director of CREST, Professor Stacey Conchie of Lancaster University, said: “We have a fantastic set of projects that once again draw on a variety of methods and disciplines that are key to the success of CREST and the growth of our community. The projects promise to drive forward our understanding of topics as diverse as security interventions in public spaces to the prosecution of extremists. I look forward to seeing what the teams produce.”
Other projects include:
Professor Noemie Bouhana, University College London. Assessing the Environmental Risk of Terrorism: Operationalising S5 (ASSESS-5).
Dr Lewys Brace, University of Exeter. Con.Cel: Tracking the Online Contagion of Incel and Male Supremacist Ideology.
Dr Calvin Burns, University of Greenwich. The Effect of Different Online Mediums and Variable Formats on Information Disclosure in Vetting Interviews.
Professor Paul Gill, University College London. Conspiracy Theories and Extremism.
Professor David McIlhatton, Coventry University. Evaluating Security Interventions in Public Locations: Developing and Testing a Co-created Framework for Protective Security.
Professor Rachel Monaghan, Coventry University. Prosecuting Extremists in the United Kingdom: An Exploration of Charging, Prosecution, and Sentencing Outcomes.
Dr Alexandra Phelan, Monash University. Misogyny, Hostile Beliefs, and the Transmission of Extremism: A Comparison of the Far Right in the UK and Australia.
Dr Charis Rice, Coventry University. Situational Threat and Response Signals (STARS): Understanding Overt Communications in Terrorism Deterrence across Different UK Contexts.
Professor Martin Innes, Cardiff University. Mapping and Modelling Influence Interactions between Conspiracy Communities and Extremist Entities (MICE2).