Department of Politics and International Relations (PAIR)

We aim to:

• consolidate our education and research excellence in the UK and globally
• enhance our research activities from impact to income streams
• foster an inclusive community supporting diverse research agendas, researcher backgrounds and research approaches

We'll do this by:

• Enabling high quality teaching and education. For example, by developing specialist modules that link research with teaching and expanding our suite of postgraduate courses.
• Producing excellent research that increases income, encourages knowledge exchange partnerships and influences civic, national and international agendas. Including:
  seed funding opportunities, with feedback to enhance work
  dedicated research support to develop funding proposals
  an agreed engagement strategy with the University's public policy unit
• Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion practices in everything we do. For example, by improving career progression opportunities for all.

You can apply to the University, and our school and faculty for seed funding to cover expenses including:

• direct research costs 
• workshops 
• interdisciplinary research sandpits

From small grant awards to larger projects and mid-career fellowships, funding allows us to conduct research like our work tackling health inequality in Central and South America. Our funding achievements include:

• a UKRI Future Leaders’ Fellowship
• a European Research Council Consolidator Grant
• three large Economic and Social Research Council grants
• two Leverhulme Fellowships
• a Fulbright Fellowship
• a Jean Monnet Chair

We host and work with a number of research centres including:

• Behavioural Experimental Action and Research
• Democratic Futures
• English Identity and Politics
• Political Ethnography

Teaching environment

We run 7 taught undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Over 200 students study on the degrees we host with around 600 on joint honours programmes. The Master’s of Public Administration recruits over 100 students a year. 

If you join us as an early-career academic, we support you with a reduced teaching workload for your first 3 years. You can gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice with us. We support you to work towards fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. 

We teach a range of modules across all subfields of politics and international relations. We encourage staff to develop specialist modules in their fields of interest.

• gain relevant KEE skills and experience
• celebrate and promote KEE successes
• develop and sustain relationships with external partners and stakeholders

Our work is supported by the University’s public policy unit which we co-founded. They help researchers:

• connect with policymakers
• embed impact throughout their work
• attract ESRC Impact Acceleration Funding

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the majority of our research was judged internationally world-leading or excellent. Examples of our research impact include:

• improving access to health services for displaced women in South and Central America
• working with young asylum seekers to improve processes for those seeking refuge
• making policy recommendations to improve use of drones in warfare
• pioneering new ways to restart democracy

Whatever your background, we'll help you:

• flourish in your career
• enrich your learning
• gain an indepth understanding of global politics