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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

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SoTL Interests: EDI, Decolonisation, AI

Nuray Aridici

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of York

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SoTL Interests: Critical inquiry, Inclusivity, Research-led teaching

Douglas Bamford

Lecturer, Continuing Education, University of Oxford

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SoTL Interests: Teaching Adult learners, Teaching Political Philosophy, Public Policy

Ann Bajo

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, International College of Portsmouth

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SoTL Interests: Professional development, Evidence-base practice, Pedagogy

Nick Boden

Subject Lead, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Bristol

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SoTL Interests: Anarchism, Critical pedagogy, Freedom

Sebastian Booth

Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York

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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

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SoTL Interests: Social media, Transformative pedagogies, Critical pedagogies

Hillary Briffa

Senior Lecturer, School of Security Studies, Kings College London

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SoTL Interests: Assessment, Inclusive education

Carol Buxton

Teaching Associate, Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham

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SoTL Interests: Space governance education, Methodological rigour, Active learning

Margherita de Candia

Lecturer, King's Foundations, Kings College London

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SoTL Interests: Teaching for politics, Co-creation, GenAI & assessment

Marianna Charountaki

Senior Lecturer, Social & Political Sciences , University of Lincoln

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SoTL Interests: MA teaching

Thomas Da Costa Vieira

Lecturer, POLIS, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interests: AI, Environmental education

John Craig

Professor, University of Hull

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SoTL Interests: Blended learning, Student engagement, Inclusive Pedagogy

Ben Coulson

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh

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SoTL Interests: Geopolitics, Sport and Politics, IR Theory

Richard Dodgson

Lecturer, Department of Politics, Newcastle University

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SoTL Interests: Global governance, Political economy, Transition to PGT

Ashley Dodsworth

Senior Lecturer, SPAIS, University of Bristol

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SoTL Interests: Mental health, PhD corrections, Climate pedagogy

Cathy Elliott

Professor, Department of Political Science, UCL

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SoTL Interests: Joy, Creativity, Imagination

Christopher Featherstone

Associate Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York

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SoTL Interests: International Relations education, Education in crisis

Adam Fusco

Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York

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SoTL Interests: Assessment, Teaching political theory, Graduate Teaching Assistant training 

Ciaran Gillespie

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Surrey

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SoTL Interests: Technology enhanced teaching, Visual methods, Critical methods

Nikolaos Gkotsis-Papaioannou

Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Surrey

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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

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SoTL Interests: Inclusive assessment & feedback, Ungrading, Critical thinking

Tom Godfrey

Lecturer, Politics, University of Surrey

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SoTL Interests: Employability, Attainment, Widening participation

Stuart Gordon

Professor, International Development, LSE

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Amanda Hall

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Reading

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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

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SoTL Interests: Pedagogy, Democratic education, Active learning

Christopher Huggins

Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Academic Programmes, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge

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SoTL Interests: Teaching European Union politics, Continuing education, Academic leadership

Matthew Jones

Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Greenwich

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SoTL Interests: Pedagogy, Assessment design, Academic integrity and misconduct

Andrew Judge

Senior Lecturer, Division of Political and International Studies, University of Glasgow

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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

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SoTL Interests: Inclusive learning, Active learning, Student engagement

Susan Kenyon

Principal Lecturer, Law, Policing and Social Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University

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SoTL Interests: Commuter students, Innovative pedagogy, Active learning

Kasim Khorasanee

Teaching Associate, School of Law, University of Nottingham

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SoTL Interests: Political Theory, Student social networks, Media literacy

Ksenia Kirkham

Lecturer, War Studies, King’s College London

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SoTL Interests: Curriculum development, Inclusive teaching methods

Lucas Knotter

Lecturer, PoLIS, University of Bath

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SoTL Interests: Research-led teaching, Creative pedagogy, GenAI

Sebastian Koehler

Lecturer, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London

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SoTL Interests: Assessment, AI literacy, Methods teaching

Marzieh
Kouhi Esfahani

Assistant Professor, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University

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SoTL Interests: Teaching and assessment innovations, Inclusivity challenges

Ayebo Bolale Laourou

Lecturer, Accounting, Coventry University

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SoTL Interests: Blended learning, Student engagement, Inclusive Pedagogy

Simon Lightfoot

Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interests: Research-teaching nexus, Skills, Assessment

Natalie Martin

Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

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SoTL Interests: Active learning, quality control, Teaching IR theory and research methods

Angeliki Martinou

Teaching Assistant, Social and Political Sciences, Brunel University of London

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SoTL Interest: Intelligence, International Relations theory, Research methods

Stuart McAnulla

Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interest: Teaching politics, Curricula diversity, Management and educational changege

Alexandra Meakin 

Lecturer, POLIS, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interests: Attendance, Innovative pedagogy, Widening Participation

Martin Moore

Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, King's College London

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SoTL Interests: Politics, Media, Technology

Jeremy Moulton

Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York

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SoTL Interests: Assessment, Ethics, Environmental education

Silvia Naydenova

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Politics, University of Warwick

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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

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SoTL Interests: Lecturing, humour, engagement

Stefano Pagliari

Reader, Department of International Politics, City St. George's, University of London

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SoTL Interests: Political Economy, Digital tools, Data analysis

Louise Pears

Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interests: Digital teaching, Open education methods, Critical pedagogies 

Anna B Plunkett

Lecturer, School of Security Studies, King's College London

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SoTL Interests: Teaching comparative politics

Neil Pye

Lecturer, School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, University of Liverpool

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SoTL Interests: Teaching practice, Research informed teaching strategies, Curriculum development

William Reynolds

Lecturer, Politics, Defence Studies Department, King's College London

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SoTL Interest: Professional Military Education, Active Learning, Research-based Learning

Nat Rutherford

Lecturer, Politics, Interational Relations, and Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London

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SoTL Interest: Political theory, Political legitimacy, Marxism

Sudhir Selvaraj

Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Bradford

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SoTL Interest: Creative practices, Peace Education, Critical pedagogies

Keith Smith

Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, King's College London

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SoTL Interest: Wellbeing, Widening participation, Inclusive education

Gregory Stiles

University Teacher, School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield

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SoTL Interest: Academic skills, Model summits, Humour

Nicky Stubbs

Teaching Associate, Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield

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SoTL Interest: Research methods, Brave spaces, Modes of reasoning

Luca Tardelli

Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, LSE

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SoTL Interest: International Relations education, Assessment, Curriculum design

Jillian Terry

Associate Professor, LSE100, LSE

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SoTL Interests: Co-teaching, Interdisciplinarity, Feminist pedagogies

Patrick Theiner

Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh

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SoTL Interests: Hybrid teaching, Generative AI use, Simulations

Stephen Thornton

Reader in Politics, Politics and International Relations, Cardiff University

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SoTL Interests: Information literacy, Assessment and feedback, Curriculum design

Tea Tutberidze

GTA, Department of War Studies, King's College London

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SoTL Interests: Teaching, Engagement, Argument

Alexej Ulbricht

Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Studies, SOAS

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SoTL Interests: Climate, Inclusivity, Teaching theory

Ellen Watts

Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

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SoTL Interests: Research methods, Skills, Creativity

Mette Wiggen

Lecturer, POLIS, University of Leeds

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SoTL Interests: SpLD, WP, Integration

Helen Williams

Professor & APVC Education and Student Experience (Social Sciences), School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

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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

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SoTL Interests: Teaching political theory, Inclusive education, Personal tutoring

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