Max Watson is a Research Assistant at the Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) and the Programme on International Peace and Security (IPS). His work with ELAC/IPS under the direction of ELAC Co-Director Federica D’Alessandra focuses on the changing geo-political landscape and its effects on legal frameworks, atrocity prevention and international justice; institutional innovation and adaptation; and organisational cohesion and ideological fluidity.

With a multidisciplinary background in economic, military, and diplomatic history, Max examines the laws, norms and institutions that uphold international peace and security. He is particularly interested in the changing nature of threats to global security, the legal and moral dimensions of contemporary and future conflict, and how the acquisition and application of both soft and hard power impact international stability.

Max holds a BA from Columbia University in the city of New York and an MPhil from Oxford where he researched economic drivers contributing to military and diplomatic decision-making.