Dr Nan Tian is a Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers and Military Expenditure Programme, where he is responsible for monitoring and managing the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. His research interests focus on the causes and impact of military expenditure and civil war. His doctoral thesis is titled 'Military Spending, Conflict and Development' and explores the relationship between military spending, civil conflict and economic development. He previously worked at the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as an economist on climate change and was a lecturer at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.