Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat, the eminent nuclear physicist and founder of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, became involved with PeaceJam towards the end of his life and was so impressed by it that he was determined to bring it to the UK.

Shortly after his death in August 2005, Sally Milne, his personal assistant, and Dawn Engle, the founder of PeaceJam, set up PeaceJam UK as a partnership between British Pugwash, the University of Bradford and its Peace Studies Department, and PeaceJam Foundation in the USA. PeaceJam UK now also partners with the University of Winchester, Leeds Trinity University and the University of Leeds.