Hellyer was previously Senior Practice Consultant at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick. Dr Hellyer was appointed to the British government's Taskforce on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism. Dr. Hellyer was appointed as deputy convener of the United Kingdom taskforce on tackling radicalization and extremism after the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. He also served as the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) first economic and social research council fellow, within its Islam team and counter-terrorism team.