Secure Futures is a vision of a more secure world, enabled by the knowledge, expertise, and imagination that social science provides. Our work in SSPP shapes secure futures and a better world for students, governments and societies.
Professor Linda McKie, Executive Dean
10 September 2026
SSPP launches new vision for social science
Research showcased from across the Faculty at Secure Futures launch
Secure Futures, the vision of the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy (SSPP) was launched on Wednesday 9 September at Bush House, in an event showcasing how social science is building a more secure world.
Over 200 SSPP staff and guests experienced an interactive exhibition of research from across the Faculty. Five different exhibits showed the role of social science in securing fairness, democracy, peace, informed populations, and a future for the young.
Hosting the event, Professor Linda McKie, Executive Dean, was joined by speakers Lord David Willetts, former UK Universities Minister, and Dr Marta Welander, SSPP alumna (MA International Relations, 2009) and founder of Refugee Rights Europe. They welcomed the Secure Futures initiative and spoke of the importance of social science to securing a better future for all.
You cannot conduct modern public policy without drawing on the insights of social science. So much of the national conversation is about social science - but sometimes conversations are not as informed by the data as they should be.
Lord David Willetts
If there's one thing I hope current SSPP students take away from their time at King's it's this: you don't need to choose between driving positive change and being a rigorous thinker. The two make each other better.
Marta Welander, SSPP alumna and NGO founder
The Secure Futures showcase brought social science to life through interactive exhibits:
The Global Terminal – Routes to a Fairer Future by the School of Global Affairs. An immersive airport-themed experience exploring global inequality, migration and international connection, with seven interactive zones, exploring research and fieldwork, and a participatory map-based activity.
Securing a Democratic Future by the School of Politics and Economics. Exploring the challenges facing democracy, including polarisation, participation and legitimacy, through a VR conflict-resolution experience, AI policy bot and research exploring how arts and performance can encourage democratic participation.
Understanding Conflict, Maintaining Security by the School of Security Studies. Featuring a live wargaming demonstration exploring how wargaming is used to understand complex security and defence problems and future risks, and the Arts & Conflict Hub and its work on creative practice in post-conflict peacebuilding and transitional justice.
From Voice to Action – Creating Just Futures by the School of Education, Communication & Society. Showcasing research into young people's experiences and pathways to secure employment, alongside the Social Change Lab’s work on community organising and social justice.
Mistaken Britain – Challenging Misperceptions by The Policy Institute. Testing assumptions about crime, immigration and London against the evidence, and exploring how perceptions can be shaped by identity and emotion as well as information.
Secure Futures aligns with King’s Strategy 2030 which sets out how the university is investing in high-quality research and education to deliver critical skills and insight for a rapidly changing world and equipping students with the skills and experiences to shape their own successful futures and make a positive contribution to society.
SSPP will be updating on Secure Futures as work progresses. Further information on Secure Futures is available here.
