About Us

Ruth Harris is one of the Directors of the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community, alongside Nicola Fear, and is the Director of the Defence & Security Research Group at RAND Europe. Prior to joining RAND, she served for 25 years in the UK Armed Forces specialising in logistics. During her Service, Ruth worked across several areas including in humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Africa, held appointments within NATO, the UK MOD and the Cabinet Office, and has served on multiple operations worldwide. Ruth holds a MPhil in International Relations, an MA in Defence and Security Studies, and an MSc in Conflict Studies and Disaster Response.

Professor Neil Greenberg is a Consultant Academic, occupational, and forensic Psychiatrist, and Co-Director for the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. Neil served in the UK Armed Forces for more than 23 years as Royal Navy Commando trained Medical Officer, Psychiatrist, and Researcher. Neil is a senior team member within the King’s Centre for Military Health Research and a Principal Investigator within a nationally funded Health Protection Research unit at King’s. 

Professor Sir Simon Wessely FRS is a Psychiatrist and Epidemiologist. He started his psychiatry training at the Maudsley in 1984, and has been at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King’s College London, ever since. He established the King’s Centre for Military Health Research in 1996 and remains the Co-director alongside Professor Nicola Fear. His main areas of research have been in unexplained symptoms/syndromes, military health, epidemiology, clinical trials and how populations and people react to adversity.

Hans Pung is the President of RAND Europe, a not-for-profit public policy research organisation that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis.  Hans has a long standing commitment to veterans’ issues and is the current Chair of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, and was Chair of the Forces in Mind Trust from 2016 to 2022.  He served as an engineer officer in the United States Army with responsibility for logistics, personnel, and operations and overseas service in the UK, South Korea, and Germany. He led the emergency power response team at the Pentagon in the aftermath of 9/11.  A mathematics graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, and Marshall Scholar, he also holds degrees in mathematical modelling and modern history.

Dr Mary Keeling is a Chartered Psychologist who has worked in the field of Military Health Research since 2010, both in the UK and the US. Mary’s research aims to understand the psychological and social impact of military service on military personnel, ex-Service personnel, and service-connected families. Mary joined RAND Europe as Research Leader in Defence and Security to take on the role as Research Manager of the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community in August 2022. Mary became the Deputy Director of the Centre in June 2025. 

Dr Karishma Jivraj is a Chartered Psychologist who has worked in the area of mental health research since 2012. She has worked across various academic institutions, the NHS and the National Institute of Health Research in clinical research. Her main interests centre around improving service delivery, mental health and well-being outcomes and amplifying voices of unrepresented groups with a focus on co-production. Karishma holds a PhD in psychology and specialises in mixed methods research. She joined the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, King’s College London as a Postdoctoral Researcher in May 2024.

Tara Zammit is an Analyst at RAND Europe within the Defence, Security and Justice team. Alongside her work with the Centre for Evidence, she works primarily within RAND Europe's Defence Workforce and Armed Forces Community workstream. Her primary research interests are in defence recruitment, retention, and integration strategies and in military service experiences more broadly. Tara holds an M.Phil. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Cambridge, for which her dissertation received a Distinction. She also holds a B.A. (Hons.) with High Distinction from the University of Toronto, where she completed a double major in Peace, Conflict and Justice and Near and Middle Eastern Civilisations. In addition to her work at RAND, Tara is currently completing a Ph.D. in War Studies at King's College London, which focuses on the experiences of women and LGBTQ+ personnel in the UK Armed Forces post-2000. She is also a member of the Women in Defence UK Leadership Team, helping to support more gender equitable practices across the defence sector.

Ophelia Lieng is a Research Assistant who joined the King’s Centre for Military Health Research in 2023. She contributes across projects investigating meaning-making in Afghanistan, combat-related genital injuries, and alcohol use amongst spouses. Her research interests centre around mental health, underrepresented groups, and mixed methods design. She received a BSc in Psychology from University College London in 2022, followed by her MSc in War and Psychiatry from King's College London in 2023. 

Angus Cooper is a Research Assistant within the Defence, Security & Justice research group at RAND Europe. Alongside his work for the Centre for Evidence, Angus works across a wide range of issues, with his area of specialism lying in the study of policy relating to emerging and non-traditional security issues and domains. Angus completed his undergraduate studies in Scotland and holds an international master's (Int.M.) degree in security, intelligence and strategic studies from Glasgow University, Dublin City University and Charles University, Prague.