School of Politics and International Relations to play a key role in new Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War
The Leverhulme Trust Board has announced the three winners of its 2025 Leverhulme Research Centre competition, which aims to encourage original research that would establish or reshape a significant field of study and transform the understanding of an important topic in contemporary society.
One of the three new Centres, led by King’s College London Department of War Studies and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab, will focus on slavery in war. Each Centre will be funded for up to £10 million over ten years.
UoN project lead for the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War, Professor Zoe Trodd (Director of the Rights Lab and Professor of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in the School of Politics and International Relations) stated: “The relationships between modern slavery and war are poorly understood, creating gaps in understanding that mean governments, international institutions, and humanitarian actors are ill-prepared to prevent or respond to slavery in war and its deep, long-lasting impacts.”
Professor Trodd continued: “One of the Centre’s aims is to transform early warning of slavery practices within shifting conflict dynamics – bringing new analytical approaches to a 5,000-year-old problem so that we can transform its future.”
In addition to Professor Trodd, the new Centre includes contributions from five academics from the School of Politics and International Relations as co-investigators:
The Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War will build on the team’s foundational work to date, which demonstrates that nearly 90% of recent armed conflicts have involved some form of slavery. In a world facing proliferating conflicts, the Centre will reshape knowledge of how slavery in war can be forecasted and tackled by drawing on novel analytical methods that bridge the social sciences, humanities, and data sciences, including forecasting techniques and survivors’ own voices. In doing so, the Centre will revolutionise how we think about both slavery and war, uncovering the dynamics by which slavery takes root and flourishes in war, how actors in and around conflict zones use slavery strategically and tactically, and how slavery influences the course, conduct, and consequences of conflicts.
The Head of the School of Politics and International Relations, Professor Caitlin Milazzo, stated: “I am delighted to see the School play such an important role in the new Centre. The project brings together the School’s world-leading expertise in modern slavery, international security, political theory and data science to transform our understanding of one of the most significant global challenges of our time. This type of collaboration – both within and beyond disciplines – is critical to creating innovative and far-reaching solutions.”
Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, said: “The new Centre's findings will have far-reaching implications not only for academic scholarship but also for real-world applications in policymaking, military strategy, and humanitarian aid. In a world where conflict-driven enslavement remains rampant, the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War offers a timely and essential contribution to understanding and combating one of humanity’s most ancient, pervasive, and persistent injustices.”
Mural created by artist Joel Bergner with Syrian refugee girls and Jordanians, in Dhlail, Jordan.
Posted on Monday 14th April 2025