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Notes from Cambridge: A student blog from the International Security and Intelligence Programme, with a photo of two ľƵ students standing on Cambridge University campus

2025 Notes from Cambridge Student Blog

EDITOR'S NOTE: As part of our ongoing focus on student success, GNSI has partnered with the world-renowned , part of the , held annually in Cambridge, England.

The ISI Programme was launched in 2016, as part of the Cambridge Security Initiative. The ISI Programme gathers the world's leading academics and practitioners from the intelligence and security communities, focusing on the intelligence dimensions of international security from a transatlantic perspective while also exploring broader global perspectives.

This summer,we're excited to be sending two ľƵ students to the ISI Programme for the first time, giving them an opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the world's leading experts. and , the two students selected and members of the GNSI Future Strategist Program, are on the ground in Cambridge, getting ready for the next six weeks of rigorous study, research and security experiences. They might even squeeze in a little bit of fun.  

They've agreed to write this blog for us, detailing their experience at the ISI Programme. You can follow along here, as we'll post their latest blog entries below. You can also follow along on our social media platforms for even more great content, including videos, pics and more. We're at: and .

We hope you enjoy the blog!

week two

Kyle Rudd's Personal Archive

Kyle Rudd, July 15, 2025

Late on my first Sunday in Cambridge, I walked through Emmanuel College’s stone archway and paused in the courtyard. Warm light washed over the cloisters, the chapel bell rang four times across the lawn, and I knew the coming four weeks would play out within these walls. 

Each morning begins in the dining hall. Sunlight reaches the long oak tables, and conversation starts before I can pour tea. A Dutch classmate shares thoughts on cyber law, an Australian officer updates us on Pacific security trends, and someone else breaks down a recent intel brief from Washington. Breakfast lasts less than an hour, yet it feels like a seminar that no timetable could improve. 

When the dishes clear, a steady stream of students crosses the courtyard to the first lecture. We pass flowering beds and open windows where tutorials hum in the background. This rhythm eases me into the academic day without any abrupt shift. On Tuesday Sir David Dearlove, former chief of MI6 (the United Kingdom's Central Intelligence Agency equivalent), opened the week’s programme. Speaking in a large room, he described the United States and United Kingdom intelligence services as parts of one growing system. His certainty pushed me to refine my own research.

Kyle Rudd's personal archive


Later that afternoon a supervision group met with a PhD mentor from King’s College London department of War Studies. Six of us compared notes and shaped our individual ideas into our research questions, mine is: How can joint US–UK programmes prevent hacktivist attacks? We left with reading lists, draft outlines, and a plan to trade feedback once writing starts next week.

Theory moved into practice during a post-lecture seminar. Small teams took the roles of different states and balanced fictional intelligence budgets. My group ran a medium-sized European country with two-and-a-half billion dollars to spend. We argued over satellites, human assets, and home-front counter-intelligence, and we learned that strategy lives inside a spreadsheet long before it appears in anyone's speech.

We learned that strategy lives inside a spreadsheet long before it appears in anyone's speech.

Late afternoons carry a quieter pace. I walk narrow streets that lead to bookshops and cafes, then circle back to the college garden where I read until the chapel bell marks the hour for dinner. Formal hall happens every other night. We stand while the Head of College offers Latin grace, then sit to candlelight and four measured courses. Conversation slides easily from policy drafts to HUMINT methods, and the setting ties present study to centuries of earlier debate. 

The weekend offered a change of scene; most of us travelled to London, first to the Imperial War Museum and then to the Churchill War Rooms. In the Holocaust galleries I confronted the human cost of intelligence failure. 

Week one closes with three clear aims for the days ahead. I will stress-test my hacktivism research in class debates, share drafts with peers who ask hard questions, and keep the breakfast conversations lively because they teach as much as any scheduled lecture. In seven days the programme has shown that disciplined inquiry, paired with open dialogue, turns shared knowledge into shared security.

Kyle Rudd's Personal Archive

 

Kyle Rudd's Personal Archive

 

Kyle Rudd's Personal Archive

 

week one

May's bucket List: Getting ready for my First Trip to the UK

Before leaving for Cambridge, I decided to write down some of my expectations for the International Security and Intelligence Programme and my first ever visit to the United Kingdom. Here are some of the items on my “ISI Bucket List:”

• Understand International Relations from a non-American perspective 
• Meet and form relationships with future professionals in the field 
• Study in the Emmanuel College library 
• Visit the Buckingham Palace and see the Royal Guards 
• Have a picnic on the campus courtyard 
• Go for a run around Cambridge (I’ve never run in another country) 

Overall, I am beyond excited to go and I hope I can fulfill this list during my stay. Follow along to see what I can check off!

- May Birch

Collage of the Emmanuel College, Royal Guards at the Buckingham Palaca, and Canbridge

Kyle's UK Agenda: Cybersecurity and Chips in Cambridge

I expect the International Security and Intelligence Programme to teach me the latest ideas in cyber-security and help me meet people from government, business, and universities who can guide my career. Most afternoons I’ll ask speakers practical questions about how they built their own paths into policy work. Evenings will be for discovering Cambridge’s pub scene, and late mornings will start with a reliable plate of beans on toast. A trip to the Churchill War Rooms will connect modern cyber issues to their historical roots, and the conveners’ sharp humour should keep every session lively. I plan to end each day with a well-earned serving of fish and chips. 

• Find at least five solid leads for jobs or internships in cyber-security
• Have a real conversation with a current government official about how policy is put into practice
• Finish the full Churchill War Rooms tour and share the lessons in class
• Visit the lively pub scene, not only to sample the local pints, but, more importantly, to find out how the locals think about security issues
• Attend every seminar- even after late nights- and earn high marks
• Decide whether beans on toast are truly good study fuel
• Leave with a network on three continents and a lasting love of British fish and chips

- Kyle Rudd

Images of people talking in pub, Robert Clive's statue and Churchill War Rooms, and fish and chips

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About GNSI News

The GNSI Newsroom is dedicated to highlighting news and ideas from the world of global and national security, as well as stories that focus on the Global and National Security Institute at ľƵ. We want to emphasize the many ways GNSI leads the university's strategic focus on global and national security.