Reflections on the 2025 Society for Terrorism Research Conference at Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK

levensondaniel
Jul 27
2 min read

Blog Post

By Daniel E. Levenson

July 27, 2025

In July of 2025 I traveled to the Royal Holloway University of London to participate in the annual Society For Terrorism Research conference. During the 2-day event I presented on my doctoral research relating to terrorism and malicious use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), sharing insights and questions developed in the course of both my academic work and practical experience conducting law enforcement training in this area. I also had the pleasure of chairing a very interesting panel entitled “Platforms of Influence” which featured 3 scholars doing truly innovative research on the ways in which AI can be put to malicious use for the creation and dissemination of extremist propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.

The conference, which brings together a global community of counter-terrorism researchers, practitioners and police-makers from around the world overlapped with the 20^th anniversary of the July 7, 2005 London bombings which took the lives of more than fifty people, injured hundreds, and tore a hole in the heart of the British capital. As I wrote in my reflections on last year’s STR conference, which was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, it is critically important that those of us working in this field, whatever our role, never lose sight of the fact that the crimes we study and seek to prevent are not abstract concepts but very real cases of extreme violence that do permanent damage to individuals, families, and societies.

As societies continue to generate and react to ideological movements (as is their wont) it seems inevitable that some of what rises to the top will be malicious in mature. History teaches us nothing less. But I was somewhat heartened, as I often am in such settings, to experience firsthand the valuable opportunities for collaboration and conversation that gatherings like this provide. As an inherently cross and multi-disciplinary field, counter-terrorism research fueled by forward-leaning, cross-cutting collaboration, and it is this work that can make a difference for both individuals and communities.