Leigh Mayhew

Leigh’s research focuses on climate security, and the complex and contested links between changes in the climate, and conditions of peace, conflict and security. He co-authored a chapter on climate change within the UK’s national security strategy, titled ‘The Securitisation of Climate Change: A Development Perspective’.

Prior to joining ODI, Leigh previously interned at Waging Peace; a human rights organisation focusing on Sudan. In addition, he interned at the London-based NGO, Global Witness, which investigates and targets the links between corruption, armed conflict and natural resources.

Leigh’s expertise is in the Sahel-Sahara region. He wrote his Masters dissertation on Mali’s War Economy, which challenges the notion of ‘ungoverned space’ by arguing that instability is being driven by new sources of wealth generated from trafficking and smuggling networks.