ASPIRE Members
Colleagues on Teaching and Scholarship contracts make up more than 21% of all those working in Politics and International Relations Higher Education in the UK (British Academy 2025). ASPIRE works to bring those academics together to develop our teaching and scholarship work, in order to create excellence in practice and career progression for all.
Membership is free and all are welcome. Please register using the link below or check out our list of current members.
Members' benefits include participating in the ASPIRE SoTL circle, having your work shared in our newsletter, and being in a great community of scholars!
We are constantly looking to expand our work so if there is more that you would like to see ASPIRE doing, please get in contact.
Members of ASPIRE:
ASPIRE provides a great way to network with colleagues across the country looking to develop their own teaching and scholarship practice. Check out the list of current members below:
Katharine Adeney
Professor, Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
SoTL Interests: EDI, Decolonisation, AI
Nuray Aridici
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Critical inquiry, Inclusivity, Research-led teaching
Douglas Bamford
Lecturer, Continuing Education, University of Oxford
SoTL Interests: Teaching Adult learners, Teaching Political Philosophy, Public Policy
Ann Bajo
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, International College of Portsmouth
SoTL Interests: Professional development, Evidence-base practice, Pedagogy
Nick Boden
Subject Lead, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Bristol
SoTL Interests: Anarchism, Critical pedagogy, Freedom
Sebastian Booth
Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Inclusive teaching, Graduate Teaching Assistant training, Teaching public policy
Madeleine Le Bourdon
Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds
SoTL Interests: Social media, Transformative pedagogies, Critical pedagogies
Hillary Briffa
Senior Lecturer, School of Security Studies, Kings College London
SoTL Interests: Assessment, Inclusive education
Carol Buxton
Teaching Associate, Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham
SoTL Interests: Space governance education, Methodological rigour, Active learning
Margherita de Candia
Lecturer, King's Foundations, Kings College London
SoTL Interests: Teaching for politics, Co-creation, GenAI & assessment
Marianna Charountaki
Senior Lecturer, Social & Political Sciences , University of Lincoln
SoTL Interests: MA teaching
Thomas Da Costa Vieira
John Craig
Professor, University of Hull
SoTL Interests: Blended learning, Student engagement, Inclusive Pedagogy
Ben Coulson
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh
SoTL Interests: Geopolitics, Sport and Politics, IR Theory
Richard Dodgson
Lecturer, Department of Politics, Newcastle University
SoTL Interests: Global governance, Political economy, Transition to PGT
Ashley Dodsworth
Senior Lecturer, SPAIS, University of Bristol
SoTL Interests: Mental health, PhD corrections, Climate pedagogy
Cathy Elliott
Professor, Department of Political Science, UCL
SoTL Interests: Joy, Creativity, Imagination
Christopher Featherstone
Associate Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: International Relations education, Education in crisis
Adam Fusco
Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Assessment, Teaching political theory, Graduate Teaching Assistant training
Ciaran Gillespie
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Surrey
SoTL Interests: Technology enhanced teaching, Visual methods, Critical methods
Nikolaos Gkotsis-Papaioannou
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Surrey
SoTL Interests: Critical approaches (punk pedagogy), Student-staff symbiotic environment, Socially-oriented T&L
Sara van Goozen
Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Inclusive assessment & feedback, Ungrading, Critical thinking
Tom Godfrey
Lecturer, Politics, University of Surrey
SoTL Interests: Employability, Attainment, Widening participation
Stuart Gordon
Amanda Hall
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Reading
SoTL Interests: Widening access, Transition to university, Inclusive teaching
Eloise Harding
Senior Teaching Fellow, Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton
SoTL Interests: Ecology, Misinformation, Ideology
Terry Hathaway
Lecturer, Norwegian Study Centre, University of York
SoTL Interests: Pedagogy, Democratic education, Active learning
Christopher Huggins
Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Academic Programmes, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
SoTL Interests: Teaching European Union politics, Continuing education, Academic leadership
Matthew Jones
Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Greenwich
SoTL Interests: Pedagogy, Assessment design, Academic integrity and misconduct
Andrew Judge
Senior Lecturer, Division of Political and International Studies, University of Glasgow
SoTL Interests: Authentic assessments, Simulation games, What’s the point in learning about (global) politics?
Dan Keith
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Inclusive learning, Active learning, Student engagement
Susan Kenyon
Principal Lecturer, Law, Policing and Social Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University
SoTL Interests: Commuter students, Innovative pedagogy, Active learning
Kasim Khorasanee
Teaching Associate, School of Law, University of Nottingham
SoTL Interests: Political Theory, Student social networks, Media literacy
Ksenia Kirkham
Lecturer, War Studies, King’s College London
SoTL Interests: Curriculum development, Inclusive teaching methods
Lucas Knotter
Lecturer, PoLIS, University of Bath
SoTL Interests: Research-led teaching, Creative pedagogy, GenAI
Sebastian Koehler
Lecturer, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London
SoTL Interests: Assessment, AI literacy, Methods teaching
Marzieh
Kouhi Esfahani
Assistant Professor, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University
SoTL Interests: Teaching and assessment innovations, Inclusivity challenges
Ayebo Bolale Laourou
Lecturer, Accounting, Coventry University
SoTL Interests: Blended learning, Student engagement, Inclusive Pedagogy
Simon Lightfoot
Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds
SoTL Interests: Research-teaching nexus, Skills, Assessment
Natalie Martin
Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
SoTL Interests: Active learning, quality control, Teaching IR theory and research methods
Angeliki Martinou
Teaching Assistant, Social and Political Sciences, Brunel University of London
SoTL Interest: Intelligence, International Relations theory, Research methods
Stuart McAnulla
Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds
SoTL Interest: Teaching politics, Curricula diversity, Management and educational changege
Alexandra Meakin
Lecturer, POLIS, University of Leeds
SoTL Interests: Attendance, Innovative pedagogy, Widening Participation
Martin Moore
Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, King's College London
SoTL Interests: Politics, Media, Technology
Jeremy Moulton
Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York
SoTL Interests: Assessment, Ethics, Environmental education
Silvia Naydenova
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Politics, University of Warwick
SoTL Interests: Pedagogy, Innovative teaching, Module development
Ben Nutt
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Hertfordshire
SoTL Interests: Active learning, Simulations and games, Modelling and visual learning
Timothy Oliver
Lecturer, Department of Politics, University of Manchester
SoTL Interests: Lecturing, humour, engagement
Stefano Pagliari
Reader, Department of International Politics, City St. George's, University of London
SoTL Interests: Political Economy, Digital tools, Data analysis
Louise Pears
Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds
SoTL Interests: Digital teaching, Open education methods, Critical pedagogies
Anna B Plunkett
Lecturer, School of Security Studies, King's College London
SoTL Interests: Teaching comparative politics
Neil Pye
Lecturer, School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, University of Liverpool
SoTL Interests: Teaching practice, Research informed teaching strategies, Curriculum development
William Reynolds
Lecturer, Politics, Defence Studies Department, King's College London
SoTL Interest: Professional Military Education, Active Learning, Research-based Learning
Nat Rutherford
Lecturer, Politics, Interational Relations, and Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London
SoTL Interest: Political theory, Political legitimacy, Marxism
Sudhir Selvaraj
Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Bradford
SoTL Interest: Creative practices, Peace Education, Critical pedagogies
Keith Smith
Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, King's College London
SoTL Interest: Wellbeing, Widening participation, Inclusive education
Gregory Stiles
University Teacher, School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield
SoTL Interest: Academic skills, Model summits, Humour
Nicky Stubbs
Teaching Associate, Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield
SoTL Interest: Research methods, Brave spaces, Modes of reasoning
Luca Tardelli
Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, LSE
SoTL Interest: International Relations education, Assessment, Curriculum design
Jillian Terry
Associate Professor, LSE100, LSE
SoTL Interests: Co-teaching, Interdisciplinarity, Feminist pedagogies
Patrick Theiner
Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh
SoTL Interests: Hybrid teaching, Generative AI use, Simulations
Stephen Thornton
Reader in Politics, Politics and International Relations, Cardiff University
SoTL Interests: Information literacy, Assessment and feedback, Curriculum design
Tea Tutberidze
GTA, Department of War Studies, King's College London
SoTL Interests: Teaching, Engagement, Argument
Alexej Ulbricht
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Studies, SOAS
SoTL Interests: Climate, Inclusivity, Teaching theory
Ellen Watts
Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
SoTL Interests: Research methods, Skills, Creativity
Mette Wiggen
Helen Williams
Professor & APVC Education and Student Experience (Social Sciences), School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
SoTL Interests: Assessment and feedback, Teaching research methods, Digital learning
David Wilcox
Part-Time Teaching Fellow, Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham
SoTL Interests: LEGO, Playful Learning, Active Learning
John Wilesmith
Lecturer, Department of Political Science, UCL
SoTL Interests: Teaching political theory, Inclusive education, Personal tutoring