Office Telephone: (519)-661-2111, ext. 85156
Office Fax: (519) 661-3904
Email: simpson@uwo.ca
As one of the leading global voices on international security, Erika Simpson provides ethically- and research-informed contributions on issues of nuclear proliferation and global governance at a time when the world is open to Canada taking the lead. As a Director, Board Member, Treasurer and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Pugwash Group from 2002 to the present (2022), Simpson is regarded globally as a leading thinker directly engaged in policy making on one of the central issues of contemporary international politics – how can the international community best act to prevent and respond to the proliferation of nuclear weapons? Despite Canadian influence on the narrative of nuclear disarmament during the Cold War years, the most prominent scholars on these issues during the last 15 years – particularly on NATO’s Strategic Concept and the NPT’s Article VI – have tended to be located outside of Canada.
Professor Simpson’s expertise in nuclear issues and NATO have significantly contributed to the Canadian research ecosystem. She has written some of the most authoritative opinion pieces, reports and articles on nuclear non-proliferation, NATO expansion, drones, Light-Armoured Vehicles (LAVs), nuclear waste and the prevention of the NPT’s collapse. These are prominent themes in research on international organizations, politics and diplomacy, both in Canada and internationally. Her presence in the corridors of the UN and NATO adds to our collective stock of knowledge on international affairs and creates new synergies. Her first-hand experience, as described below, connects the Canadian scholarly community to the policy community based in New York, Brussels and well beyond.
