Jack McCarthy has held two traineeships in the European Committee of the Regions and subsequently the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). As a trainee at the EUISS, he supported the EU Cyber Direct Project in bringing together stakeholders from government, academia and NGOs to explore questions around the application of international law in cyberspace, norms of state behaviour, confidence building measures and resilience in cyberspace. Jack initially undertook a BA in History at Trinity College Dublin followed by a MA in International Relations in University College Cork (UCC) in 2018. His MA dissertation focused on ‘identity politics and opposition to European integration’, with specific focus on how Ireland’s policy of military neutrality disrupted the implementation of European legislation.

Jack’s research interests include disinformation and populism and their threat to democracies; European foreign policy; digital technology and cyber threats for humanitarians and civilians in conflict and disaster situations; the threat of digital technologies and the harm arising from the increasing urbanisation of armed conflict for civilians; and civil liberties and human rights.