Political Science and International Studies

Antonia Vaughan

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Politics, Language and International Studies

Start date: January 2020

Research topic: The alt-right online during the United States’ Presidential Election 2020.

My PhD is looking at the communities of the alt-right online, particularly on the platforms of Reddit and Voat. Using a mixed-methods methodology, the networks and communication methods of the communities will be analysed to show how they operate during a Presidential Election. The construction of identity and community will also be considered.

Research supervisors: Professor Anna Bull, Dr Aurelien Mondon

Email: acw66@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/antoniacvaughan

Ditte Madsen

PhD Researcher in Politics (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: Teenage pregnancy and social inclusion in Cornwall

Research supervisors: Dr Dario Castiglione

Email: dtm207@exeter.ac.uk

Eleanor Wolff

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: How climate justice should affect international environmental law: the case for establishing an International Court for Climate Change

Research supervisors: Dr Pieraccini, Dr Dietzel

Email: nn18021@bristol.ac.uk

Ellen Martin

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS)

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: (Mis)representing the Military, War and Violence: A Visual and Discursive Analysis of the British Army’s Self-Representation on Social Media

My research focuses on the dynamics of military outreach in Britain and its effects on the normalisation of military power, war and violence in society. In particular, I wish to analyse how the military is using social media and other types of digital technology to infiltrate everyday, domestic spaces. In doing so, my aim is to ensure greater accountability for the moral implications of military action that military outreach obscures.

Research supervisors: Professor Tim Edmunds, Dr Chris Rossdale

Email: vp20729@bristol.ac.uk / e.martin1997@yahoo.co.uk

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ellen-martin-40a3b6201

Emily Anne Marsay

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies
University of Exeter, School of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: The Quintuple Crisis? Addressing the missing crisis of care in the Alternative Development Strategies for a post-2015 era.

My research will evaluate the impact of different international development projects which aim to empower women and girls. I will focus on the role of unpaid care work in the achievement of development outcomes, and on the consequences that empowerment projects may have for the provision of care. I will conduct a comparative ethnography that aims to reflect the knowledge and the systems of meaning in the lives of a community in Eastern Kenya. I hope to construct a colourful picture of the myriad factors that contribute to women’s self-perceived empowerment and autonomy, including social interaction, structural constraints, culture and relationships.

Research supervisors: Dr Duncan Russel, Dr Sarah Cooper

Professional memberships/Positions held: University of Exeter Gender Research Network

Email: em390@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-marsay-3657a395/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilymarsay

Flo Bremner

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of Politics, Language and International Studies

Start date: October 2019

Research topic: Far Right Discourse in the Mainstream

Research supervisors: Aurelien Mondon, Professor Anna Bull

Email: fb553@bath.ac.uk

Francesca Farmer

PhD Researcher in Politics (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: Cybercrime vs hacktivism: do we need a differentiated regulatory approach?

The thesis aims to delineate and categorise different forms of political hacktivism by researching motivations behind cyber-attacks. It will then investigate whether a specific policy approach should accommodate political hacktivism at the national level. The primary methods used in this study will be qualitative.  Interviews and questionnaires with key stakeholders will be the main data source with anonymous online surveys acting as a secondary data source for harder to reach participants. A virtual ethnography of the hacktivists behaviours on forums will also be undertaken in order to research the motivations behind hacktivism.

Research supervisors: Professor Alison Harcourt, Professor Oliver James

Email: ff244@exeter.ac.uk

George Boss

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC +3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: Developing a Marxian theory of historically-created need, and exploring its significance.

My research explores the differing conceptions of human need that have emerged from the work of Marx, and in the Marxist canon. By developing a distinctive new perspective on human need, I will be seeking to address problems in the contemporary philosophy of needs, as well as identifying applications.

Research supervisors: Professor Terrell Carver, Dr Jonathan Floyd

Email: George.boss@bristol.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeboss/

Greg Stride

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: Public confidence in the electoral processes of the United Kingdom

Do people in the UK trust that their elections are free and fair? My research is on public attitudes towards electoral integrity and election administration in the UK. For the MRes thesis I am working on determining the relationship between mandatory Voter ID requirements in polling stations and confidence in the electoral process.

Research supervisors: Professor Susan Banducci

Email: gs485@exeter.ac.uk

Hannah Willis

PhD Researcher in Politics (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: Membership Surges in Political Parties: What does this mean for the party, its members and society?

Only a small percentage of citizens in advanced industrial democracies are members of a political party; the numbers have largely been declining over the last five decades. Current knowledge tells us that the minority who do join have five dimensions of incentives for doing so, some being more popular than others. Yet, when a party experiences an acute period of expansion in its memberbase, do peoples’ incentives for joining change? Are different kinds of people attracted? How does this affect the party and wider society? Using advanced statistical methods, supplemented with qualitative interviews and content analysis, the project aims to answers these questions.

Research supervisors: Professor Nicole Bollever

Email: hw487@exeter.ac.uk

Kate Precious

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Politics, Language and International Studies

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: A seat at the table: a comparative analysis of the causes, process and effect of the integration of the autistic community into policy in England and Denmark.

Research supervisors: Dr Engeli, Dr Maras, Dr Milner

Email: k.j.precious@bath.ac.uk

Katy Brown

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of Politics, Language and International Studies

Start date: October 2017

Research topic: ‘Talking with’ and ‘talking about’ the far right: putting the mainstream back into mainstreamin

It is widely acknowledged that the far right has enjoyed increased success over recent years in Europe. However, a focus on electoral gains has led to misperceptions about the extent and nature of its impact. Discursive studies have largely investigated on how far-right parties have ‘softened’ their rhetoric to appear less extreme. While this internal strategy is important, mainstreaming is more complex, and there is a need to shift the focus towards the system in which far-right parties, or more specifically their ideas, are allowed to flourish. My PhD explores the role of mainstream elites within politics, the media and academia in creating this receptive environment.

Research supervisors: Dr Aurelien Mondon, Dr Sophia Hatzisavvidou

Email: kjb28@bath.ac.uk

Lewis Cooper

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, School of Social Sciences and International Studies

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: The Emotions of the Economic Household: Expressions & Experiences Of Wealth and Work In Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century England

Research supervisors: Dr Schaap, Dr Maiguashca

Email: lc707@exeter.ac.uk

Max Guarini

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: Visual politics, the relationship between traditional and social media, discourse analysis, relational sociology, and power

I am interested in how images are playing an increasingly important role in shaping how politics is understood and experienced in a media environment which sees the logics of legacy media and social media coexist, clash and coevolve. My PhD thesis applies this interest in the visual aspect of politics to the imagery used to depict Jeremy Corbyn during his tenure as leader of the UK Labour Party. I use discourse analysis to show how meaning is constructed through the use of images accompanying headline text in traditional media formats, as well as through social media with the creation of image macros and memes, which also make use of text and image to construct meaning. More specifically, my research is focused on showing how imagery was employed, alongside text, to construct Corbyn as a threat to the UK during his four years as Labour leader and how these constructions were reinforced or resisted through social media.

Research supervisors: Prof. Terrell Carver, Dr. Neil Matthews

Email: mg12881@my.bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaxiGuarini

Nancy McLennan

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Relations (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: Transnational feminist organising: pathways from protest to policy

My research focuses on the role of transnational feminist movements in the development of transformative policy to end violence against women. An exploration of the methods and means of contemporary praxis will be undertaken using a feminist standpoint approach. An analysis of lived experiences, facilitated by close engagement with the Everywoman Everywhere Coalition, will be interpreted with reference to dominant conceptual frameworks advanced by social movement theorists. My research interests reflect my ten years of professional experience at the UN supporting governments develop participatory policy and my active engagement in women’s movements working to end violence against women.

Research supervisors: Professor Jutta Weldes, Dr Maud Perrier

Email: nancy.mclennan@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NancyMcLennan

Nicholas Dickinson

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, Politics

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: The Regulation of MPs Salaries and Expenses in Westminster Democracies

I am a doctoral researcher in Politics focusing on the regulation of the salaries and expenses of members of parliament in Westminster democracies. The project aims to provide analysis and information on expenses regulation both from a scholarly standpoint and to inform ongoing debates on policy. My broader interests are the comparative study of parliamentary institutions in the English-speaking world, with a particular focus on the interactions between institutional arrangements, resource use and forms of political behaviour.

Research supervisors: Professor Nicole Bolleyer, Professor Claudio Radaelli

Email: nd327@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nick-dickinson-12782896

Website/Blog: https://twitter.com/NickSDickinson

Tristan Hotham

PhD Researcher in Politics (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: Examining the Impact and Effectiveness of Facebook on Party Campaigns

I am examining the use of Facebook as a political campaign tool by British political parties across three contexts, the 2015 General Election, 2017 General Election and the 2016 Welsh Assembly Elections. Through analysing Facebook data and undertaking interviews, I will evidence how and why Facebook is used, questioning its effectiveness and impact upon parties’ campaigns. Facebook appears to be a vital tool, that as part of a new data led political zeitgeist, within an era of party decline and radicalism, may help or hinder parties to campaign.

Research supervisors: Dr Nick Startin, Dr David Cutts, Prof. Roger Scully

Professional memberships/Positions held: PSA Early Career Member POLIS Student Research Rep

Email: th612@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TristanHotham

William Feltham

PhD Researcher in Political Science and International Studies (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

Start date: October 2019

Research topic: Discursive and Narrative Tactics in Representations of the Labour Party - Toward a Counter Hegemonic Politics

My research addresses the role of language and narrative used in the presentation of the Labour Party and Momentum (by those groups themselves, in the press, and on social media) in the ongoing battle for control over the Labour Party. I aim to examine the linguistic and narrative battles being fought by various groups in the British political landscape for control over the ways in which the Labour Party is represented and understood. Further, I seek to discover how the language and narratives employed by Labour can and do form part of a genuine counter-hegemonic ambition.

Research supervisors: Dr Mark Wickham-Jones, Dr Thomas Osborne

Email: rm19459@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WilliamFeltham2