Urban Coningham

Urban Coningham is Research Fellow and Course Lead. He coordinates the activities of the RUSI Leadership Centre, which designs and delivers bespoke training programmes for government officials and security professionals. His further research interests centre on the security and geopolitics of the Middle East, particularly in the Levant and on the intersection between heritage and conflict.

Urban holds a BA (Hons.) degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Oxford, where he attended Pembroke College. He also has experience as a translator and researcher on UNESCO-sponsored post-disaster and post-conflict heritage programmes in Jordan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Prior to joining RUSI, Urban worked as MENA Region Manager at InvestUK, focusing on Foreign Direct Investment between London and Dubai. During this role he worked closely with UK DIT and Embassies as well as GCC ministries.