Dr Tim Stevens

Dr Stevens is Reader in International Security in the Department of War Studies and head of the King's Cyber Security Research Group. He is the founder and Programme Director of the MA in Cyber Policy and Strategy.

His research looks at the intersection of technology, politics and global security practices, with specific interests in the politics and governance of cybersecurity. His latest book is What is Cybersecurity For? (Bristol University Press, 2023). He has also written on time and temporality in International Relations, including in a monograph, Cyber Security and the Politics of Time (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

He joined the Department of War Studies as a lecturer in 2016, having previously taught at King's and Royal Holloway University of London.

Dr Stevens has a BA (Hons) in Archaeology from University College London, and an MA, MRes and PhD in War Studies from King’s College London. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Senior Fellow and Associate Researcher at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Cnam), Paris. He holds a visiting professorship at UNED, Madrid, and is a Project Fellow at the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS).

Dr Stevens comments often on cybersecurity and related issues for a range of media outlets (TV, radio, print, online), including BBC, Channel 4, ITN, Sky, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Independent, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, Daily Telegraph, Newsweek and many others. Please direct media enquiries to comms-soss@kcl.ac.uk.

Research Interests

Tim Stevens’ research is situated at the intersection of technology, politics and global security. He is particularly interested in information technologies and their roles in shaping and enabling global security practices. He has written extensively on the politics and governance of cybersecurity, especially in its strategic, military and international dimensions.

Dr Stevens is Principal Investigator on the EPSRC/Dstl-funded project, Cyber Competition in An Age of Systemic Competition (CyCRAFT). He is also Co-Investigator on the Cyber Security, Knowledge and Practices (CYKNOW) project, funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

Dr Stevens is currently writing and researching two books, one on the political economy of cyber risk, and another on the global history of cyber policy and strategy (with Joe Devanny).

Dr Stevens’ research interests include:

• Cybersecurity
• Cyberwarfare
• Cyber risk
• Time and politics
• International political sociology
• Science and Technology Studies

Teaching

• 7SSWN061 Foundations of Cyber Security
• 7SSWN134 Technology, Security and Global Politics

Dr Steven's current PhD Students are: 

• Carol Bernard
• Clara Jammot
• Paula Raboso Pantoja
• Ian Williams
• Paul Withers
• Cem Yatagan

Recent Publications

• Cybersecurity and the politics of knowledge production: towards a reflexive practice (Journal of Cyber Policy, 2024)
• Cybersecurity. Chapter in Security Studies: An Applied Introduction (Sage, 2024)
• Research Handbook on Cyberwarfare (Edward Elgar, 2024)
• What is Cybersecurity For? (Bristol University Press, 2023)
• System, alliance, domain: a three-frame analysis of NATO’s contribution to cyber stability. Chapter in Cyberspace and Instability (Edinburgh University Press, 2023)
• Cyber power in international relations. Chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Cyber Security (Oxford University Press, 2021)
• Cyber Threats and NATO 2030: Horizon Scanning and Analysis (NATO CCD COE, 2021)
• On the strategic consequences of digital espionage (Journal of Cyber Policy, 2021)

A full list of research outputs and activities can be found here.