Peter Andersen

Post Graduate Research Student

hspander@liv.ac.uk

Biography

Peter Andersen has a BA in Modern History and Politics and an MRes in Social Research.

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"Do party leaders have differential effects over sub-sections of the UK electorate in British General Elections?"

Peter Andersen's research focuses on UK social policy and political analysis. His research uses qualitative and quantative research methods to gain a broad understanding of the effects of party leaders on the UK general election results.

Research Funding

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) - North West Doctoral Training Centre (NWDTC)

Danny Bowman

Post Graduate Research Student

d.bowman@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

I have recently started my PhD at Liverpool
after undertaking my BA and MA at the University of York in Social Policy. Alongside my studies, I have worked as Director of Mental Health and Head of Campaigns at the think-tank Parliament Street alongside founding the charity MaleVoicED which supports males experiencing eating disorders and other co-morbid conditions. My main areas of interest include UK mental health reform, global mental health discourse, and healthcare inequalities.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the determinants of mental health policy change within the United Kingdom. Using cross-disciplinary theories, it aims to examine why mental health policy has become so prominent within contemporary political discourse in the United Kingdom. It examines the different forms that policy has taken throughout the four countries of the UK and what has influenced these policy prescriptions. It also asks whether there is a party-political determinism in the construction and form of policy prescriptions within the area. The research aims to conduct semi-structured interviews with senior politicians, leading mental health charities, and individual mental health campaigners to consider the questions posed. 

Thesis Title

"Mental Health Policy in the United Kingdom from the Perspectives of Advocates, Civil Society and Politics
Elites in the 21st Century"

Rachel Brock

Post Graduate Research Student

R.Brock@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

I have a joint BA in Politics and English (First-class, Honours) and an MRes (Merit) in Social Research from the University of Liverpool, having completed dissertations on both religious voting behaviour in American politics, and biometric companies’ approaches to the gender binary in their technology development and the potential implications this could have for transgender people. I was the first person in my family to go to university, followed shortly after by my mother, who graduated a few months before I finished my Masters. Because of this, while my primary research interests focus on the impact of technology on power structures, political efficacy and civil liberties, I have a secondary interest in education access and tackling inequalities at a grassroots level. Therefore, while completing my PhD I am also working for an education charity helping to tutor secondary students at disadvantaged schools. 

Research Interests

My research looks at power structures and inequalities, centring on marginalised groups, and it takes an interdisciplinary approach to this, bringing together politics, sociology, and technology.  More specifically, I am interested in how ideas of individual political efficacy can be impacted by the creation and implementation of new technologies.  To this end, my PhD is looking at how these technologies impact on the protest behaviour of dissident individuals and groups in American politics. I am most interested in looking at this impact through two approaches. The first approach is through a rights-based lens, attempting to assess legal case studies and constitutional theory to determine if this technology is infringing upon civil liberties. The second is an online ethnographic and interview-based study aimed at understanding how perceptions and discourse among marginalised groups around biometric technology and government surveillance impact protest behaviour.  

I am also a member of the Governance, Policy and Civil Society research cluster.  

Thesis Title

"Examining the impact of biometric surveillance technology on the political efficacy, civil rights, and protest behaviour of dissident individuals in the U.S."

Justine Bruder

Post Graduate Research Student

J.M.A.Bruder@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

My previous studies have been in the field of economics and international relations. I first completed a bachelor in economics at Aix-Marseille University, which included a year at Durham University as part of the Erasmus program. I continued my studies with a masters in international relations and security at the University of Liverpool. My master’s dissertation dealt with the rise of populism in the European Union member states, more specifically with its impact of the conduction of negotiations amongst said states.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the neo-colonial aspect of child protection policies, especially when those are implemented within the framework of the international development agenda. The influence of colonial legacy will be illustrated by exploring the phenomenon of child fostering in Sierra Leone (also referred to as men pikin). In spite of the existence of a rich tradition of literature documenting the historical and cultural roots of child fostering in West Africa, this practice has often been reduced to a form of child trafficking resulting from the actions of poor and irresponsible parents. My research will argue that these reductive discourses stem from a belief in the superiority of Western models of childhood. On the basis of this argument, it will also attempt to demonstrate that the promotion
of a Western ideal of childhood is not always compatible with the objective of protecting children from exploitation.

Thesis Title

"Decolonising the politics of child protection: A Sierra Leone Case Study"

Anca Carter-Timofte

Post Graduate Research Student

a.m.carter-timofte@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

I hold a MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature from the University of York (2018), and an MA in International Relations and Security from the University of Liverpool (2021).

Research Interests

My research focuses on asylum legislation in the UK following its removal from the European Union, with a specific focus on the treatment of gender in the incoming Nationality and Borders Bill. My research aims to understand how colonialism, imperialism and notions of nationhood and identity have shaped asylum law in the UK, and how these ideas persist in contemporary asylum legislation.

I am also interested in the relationship between asylum legislation and media,
considering how representations of refugees as security threats can use racial and gender stereotypes to further encourage border restrictions in the UK.

Thesis Title

"Gender and Asylum in Post-Brexit Britain"

Liza Caruana-Finkel

Post Graduate Research Student

L.Caruana-Finkel@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

I have crossed disciplinary boundaries, starting off in the field of healthcare, then developing my interest in the cognitive sciences, before eventually transitioning into the social sciences.

Academic qualifications:
• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Radiography, University of Malta
• M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Sussex
• M.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies and English, Lancaster University

In recent years, I have worked on research projects in the field of reproductive health, rights and justice, with a particular focus on abortion. This includes research on women’s personal abortion experiences, on medical doctors’ views on methods of reproductive planning, and on health and social care professionals’ experiences of providing abortion care.

I am also a reproductive justice activist and a helpline volunteer with an abortion fund. Due to my involvement in abortion-related work, I have participated in public engagement activities on the subject, including podcasts, webinars, in-person talks, and writing for a general audience.

In addition, I have been involved in research on other themes, such as experiences of home during the COVID-19 pandemic (Stay Home Stories) and gender in health economics (with Prof Sally Sheard, Institute of Population Health). I have also worked as a graduate teaching assistant on the undergraduate module Foundations in Politics (POLI109).

In October 2020 I started my Ph.D. with a project focused on abortion stigma in Malta.

I have crossed disciplinary boundaries, starting off in the field of healthcare, then developing my interest in the cognitive sciences, before eventually transitioning into the social sciences.

Academic qualifications:
• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Radiography, University of Malta
• M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Sussex
• M.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies and English, Lancaster University

In recent years, I have worked on research projects in the field of reproductive health, rights and justice, with a particular focus on abortion. This includes research on women’s personal abortion experiences, on medical doctors’ views on methods of reproductive planning, and on health and social care professionals’ experiences of providing abortion care.

I am also a reproductive justice activist and a helpline volunteer with an abortion fund. Due to my involvement in abortion-related work, I have participated in public engagement activities on the subject, including podcasts, webinars, in-person talks, and writing for a general audience.

In addition, I have been involved in research on other themes, such as experiences of home during the COVID-19 pandemic (Stay Home Stories) and gender in health economics (with Prof Sally Sheard, Institute of Population Health). I have also worked as a graduate teaching assistant on the undergraduate module Foundations in Politics (POLI109).

In October 2020 I started my Ph.D. with a project focused on abortion stigma in Malta.

Research Interests

My doctoral research is focused on abortion in the context of Malta. Malta has one of the most restrictive abortion legislations in the world and is the only EU country with a total ban. Despite recent shifts in public discourse and social attitudes, abortion remains a highly stigmatised topic in Malta, with mis- and disinformation spread through various channels and a persistent focus on sensationalism.

Due to its ‘contentious nature,’ there has been little socio-political research on abortion in Malta, especially from a more qualitative perspective. My empirical study aims to address this gap and aid in furthering socio-political change. Whilst abolishing Malta’s abortion legislation is vital to achieve reproductive justice, it is insufficient. Real progress also necessitates a deep cultural change. Therefore, I have focused my research on the socio-cultural aspect of abortion stigma.

Grounded in feminist values, this multi-modal study will make use of facilitated group discussions and creative methods. I am interested in knowing how stigma impacts on people's understanding of abortion and how women in Malta collectively co-create abortion narratives.

Research questions:
• How is abortion stigma framed and experienced in the Maltese context?
• How is the meaning of abortion co-created within a group setting? And is it possible to contest and transform abortion stigma through facilitated group discussions and creative methods?

Thesis Title

"The social life of abortion stigma in Malta: how abortion narratives are collectively created and contested"

Shaeny Cassim-Itibar

Post Graduate Research Student

S.Cassim-Itibar@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Bachelor's degree in criminology and criminal justice from Wrexham Glyndwr University
Master's degree in criminal justice from Liverpool John Moores University

Research Interests

I am interested in filling the gaps in survivor-centred justice against human trafficking, by carrying out reviews of existing evidence and conducting new empirical research with key stakeholders, and with survivors of sexual exploitation in Senegal's mining sector, Kédougou.

Thesis Title

"Survivor-centred justice in anti-trafficking efforts in Senegal"

Stephen Daniels

Postgraduate Research Student

Sjd@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Steven Daniels is a PhD candidate and tutor in the Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool, currently researching the decline of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the later Thatcher years. Steven received his MA in Twentieth Century History from the University of Liverpool, and his BA Hons in History and Politics from Liverpool John Moores University. He has also studied at King’s College London, IMT Lucca, and The Hague University.

Steven’s research into the breakaway Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) has been featured in the Independent; and his findings on the Battle of Orgreave have been featured in the Conversation. Steven’s wider research activities have been reported on in the Times, the Daily Mail, the Liverpool Echo, and BBC Radio Merseyside.

Steven was the winner of the 2018 British Journal of Industrial Relations Best PhD Paper Award, for his paper “Conservative Governments and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, c.1985-1992”

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"The Thatcher Government and the Decline of the National Union of Mineworkers, c.1985-1990"

Steven’s PhD project will show, using new and underused archival material that following the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike, the Thatcher Government (along with the taxpayer-owned National Coal Board, and the breakaway Union of Democratic Mineworkers) deliberately sought to further weaken and undermine the NUM as a viable force, as a warning to the wider trade union movement.

Steven’s is interested in all aspects of the Thatcher and Major governments, as well as wider British and US post-war history and politics.

Research Centre Memberships

Steven is a member of the following organisations:

• Political Studies Association
• British Universities Industrial Relations Association
• Social History Society
• Northern Mine Research Society

Sarah Elmammeri  

Post Graduate Research Student

Sarah.Elmammeri@liverpool.ac.uk 

Thesis Title

"Bordes and historical legacies; the journey of a postcolonial subject."

Billie Fletcher

Post Graduate Research Student

billie.fletcher@liverpool.ac.uk  

Biography

Billie Fletcher began her studies at Falmouth University studying photojournalism, before pursuing an MA in Women’s Studies at the University of York. For her MA dissertation, ‘‘We make policy, we don’t make sandwiches’: Understanding the experiences of women involved in the 1984/5 miners’ strike in Lancashire and their continued activism.’ Billie received the Susan Anderson Memorial Prize for outstanding work in Women’s History, a prize awarded to the student with the best dissertation which employs historical methods or perspectives to expand knowledge of women’s lives. 

Research Interests

Billie’s research will explore, using interview data and archival research, the lives of women involved in miners’ support groups in Lancashire throughout the 80’s and 90’s, comparing this with the lives of their predecessors: the female cotton workers turned radical suffragists of the Victorian era. Billie is interested in women’s political history in her home county of Lancashire.  

Thesis Title

"Working-class women’s activism after industrial action: Lancastrian women of the miners’ strike and the female cotton workers"

Vanessa Margarete Gottwick 

Postgraduate Research Student

V.Gottwick@liverpool.ac.uk

Thesis Title

The Process of Internal Conflict Diffusion: Neighbours at War & Mercenary Mobilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa from 1980 to 2016

Biography

Vanessa is a final year PhD Candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool, researching the process of civil war diffusion with focus on the conflict onset mercenary nexus. Vanessa received her MA in International Relations & Security from the University of Liverpool with distinction, and her BA in Political Science & Sociology from  Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Vanessa also studied at the University of Rouen, France. 

Vanessa’s research into the determinants of internal conflict diffusion  makes use of a transnational perspective to conflict onset. In addition, to her PhD project Vanessa is part of the Gerda-Henkel Foundation funded project “Commercial Military Actors in Armed Conflict”. A dataset project that comprehensively gathers data on the involvement of mercenaries and private military and security companies in civil wars.

Research Interests

• Armed Conflict
• Internal Conflict Diffusion & Conflict Onset
• Mercenaries and Private Military and Security Companies

Research Funding

Vanessa’s research is funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation

Supervision

Dr Ulrich Petersohn and Dr Nicolas Lees

Sam Glasper

Post Graduate Research Student

sam.glasper@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

Sam has a BA (First Class Honours) in International Politics at Manchester Metropolitan University and an MA (Merit) in International Relations (Political Theory) at Durham University, completing a dissertation on the place of Marxism in the national liberation struggles taking place in Ireland and Palestine and a dissertation on components on capitalism that struck the flames of armed struggle in the student populations of the United States and West Germany. The first of his family to go to university, he arrived in academia from the former mining villages of County Durham. Thus, his work focuses on liberatory forms of politics as well as works of critical thinking.
He was a correspondent for International Affairs for the student news site The Peoples News and currently acts as a writer and editor at the scholarly journal Peace, Land and Bread. His Masters dissertation recently featured as a published work within the magazine.

Research Interests

Sam’s research interests look towards works detailing political violence and conflict, usually using the lens of critical thoughts such as Marxism, Queer Theory, postcolonialism and postmodernism. Looking particularly at often forgotten or ignored thinkers such as J.Sakai, Charu Majumdar, Cedric Robinson, Guy Debord, Jene Genet and Gilles Deleuze, Sam’s research looks towards the Third World and neo-imperialism in an effort to analyse current socio-political conflict and working class ideology within the world.

Thesis Title

"The Sun Shall Set – New Left and the Decline of Empire: The Politics of Race and Revolution in the British Class War

Shwan Haji

Post Graduate Research Student

Shwan.Haji@liverpool.ac.uk

Leila-Clare Kellgren-Parker

Post Graduate Research Student

hslkellg@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

2012: BA, History, Newcastle

2017: MA, International Relations and Security (Distinction), University of Liverpool

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"Lending a helping hand? How different state actors impact civil war."

Leila’s research examines the role of third party interventions in civil wars; specifically the impact of state/non-state actors. Leila’s focus is investigating how these different actors, both on a military and political level, can affect the dynamics of civil war and result in differing outcomes.

Leila’s wider research interests encompass studies of civil war, commercial military actors and mediation.

Supervison

Dr Ulrich Petersohn (Primary) Dr Nicholas Lees (second)

Research Funding

Sir Joseph Rotblat Alumni Scholarship

Conference Papers

Lending a helping hand? How different state actors impact the duration of civil war. ISA Conference, Toronto, Canada. 26^th March 2019

Nawra Maqbool al Lawati

Post Graduate Research Student

N.Al-Lawati@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Nawra received her BSc in Economics from Sultan Qaboos University in 2013 and completed her MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics in 2015. She has since then been working as a lecturer at the department of Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"Women’s Political Engagement and Influence in Oman”

Dr. Raul Gomez (Primary) 

Nawra’s research is focused on how women influence politics in the Gulf, using Oman as a case study. She looks at different means of women’s political engagement, ranging from professional electoral participation to other types of political involvement such as participation in women’s associations and lobbying for women’s issues.

Research Funding

Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Publications & Research 

Refereed Journal Article: Buttrof, G., Al lawati, N., & Welborne, B. (in press, 2018). Cursed No More? The Resource Curse: Gender, and Labor Nationalization Policies in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Journal of Arabian Studies.

Issue Brief: Buttorff, G, Welborne, B, & al-Lawati, N. (2018) Measuring Female Labor Force Participation in the GCC. Issue brief no. 01.18.18. Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Houston, Texas

Conference Paper: Buttrof, G., Al lawati, N., & Welborne, B. (2016, November). Revisiting the Oil Curse and Gender Equality.   Middle East Studies Association, Boston, Massachusetts

Ayodele S.Owolabi

Post Graduate Research Student

Ayodele.Owolabi@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

Ayodele has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Uyo, Nigeria. He obtained his LLB Law degree in 2017 from the University of Buckingham, England where he also studied to obtain his LLM degree in International and Commercial Law and an MA degree in United Nations and Diplomatic Studies in 2018 and 2019 respectively. 

Research Interests

Human Security and Trade Agreements in Africa

Law and Politics of Regional Organisations in Africa

Thesis Title

"Embedding Human Security into Free Trade Agreements in Africa."

Ayodele’s research is on how community (in)security affects Free Trade Agreements in Africa, with a focus on the problem of implementation and the ECOWAS and SADC’s experiences in embedding community security into their trade agreements.

Charlotte Penel

Postgraduate Research Student

C.Penel@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Charlotte currently holds a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney and a Master in International Law and International Relations at  the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Over the past three years she has been working on a project titled 'Commercial Military Actors in Armed Conflicts Dataset', which provides data on these actors from 1980 to 2016.

In the past few years Charlotte has taught seminars on various undergraduate modules for the Department of Politics including:

• Foundations in International Politics,1st year module
• Politics of International Human Rights, 2nd year module
• Comparative Peace Processes, 3rd year module

Research Interests

Charlotte's current research is on mapping out the presence and activities of commercial military and security actors in Latin America and the Caribbean region, as well as providing a regional and historical institutionalist approach to understanding the rise of private security companies in this region.

Her research interests in general are the following: Latin American security, private military and security companies, mercenaries, non-state armed actors, state violence, democratization, and neoliberalism.

Thesis Title

"The Transformation of the Market for Force of Commercial Military Security Actors."

Research Funding

Gerda-Henkel-Stiftung Scholarship

Michiel Piersma

Postgraduate Research Student

M.J.Piersma@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

I have a BA in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam and a MA (with distinction) in Nationalism Studies from the University of Edinburgh.

In the past few years, I have taught seminars on various undergraduate modules within the degree of Politics at the University of Liverpool:

• Comparative Politics
• European Politics
• Foundations of Politics

Research Interests

I started as a PhD candidate in October 2018. I am supervised by Prof Erika Harris.

In my research, I am trying to offer a ‘diagnostic of power’ of society in contemporary Bosnia-Herzegovina. In particular, I hope to sketch the relational fields of power through which young people in two cities in Republika Srpska make sense of their world. Methodologically, an ‘everyday life’ lens allows to analyse how relations of power render mundane practices of everyday life as taken-for-granted. By using innovative, multisensorial methods of walking interviews and sound elicitation, I hope to offer a diagnostic of power that articulates the inarticulate of the everyday.

Research Funding

Michiel’s research is funding by the University of Liverpool Graduate Teaching Fellowship.

Enis Porat

Post Graduate Research Student

Enis.Porat@liverpool.ac.uk 

Thesis Title

"Patterns and Determinants of Political Participation: A Comparative Analysis of Turkish Migrants of Europe"

Jay Revell

Post Graduate Research Student

j.revell@liverpool.ac.uk 

Biography

Jay received his BA in Politics and International Relations from Queen Mary University, graduating with First Class Honours in 2020. His dissertation, entitled “Is China Poised to Replace US Hegemony? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective”, earned the Mile End Institute Research Award. Subsequently, Jay began an MRes at the University of Liverpool in that same year, graduating in 2021 with a Distinction. His MRes dissertation, “The Perpetual Construction of Russia’s Liminal Identity”, is currently being reworked into a journal article. Since November 2021 Jay has been a PhD candidate at the University of Liverpool, and his thesis on Conservative attitudes towards climate change is being supervised by Dr Andrew Roe-Crines and Prof Jonathan Tonge. When not studying for his PhD, Jay tutors children aged 6-16 and enjoys playing guitar and keeping fit in his spare time.

Research Interests

Jay’s research is focused on changes and continuities in Conservative climate change policy from the period in opposition (2005-2010), the Cameron era (2010-2016) and the post-Cameron era (2016-2020). As climate change is the most pressing global issue of our time, Jay’s research seeks to shed light on the extent to which Conservative climate change policies are effective, and how it can be accommodated within core Conservative ideologies. 

Thesis Title

"Attitudes towards climate change within the Conservative Party: 2005-2020"

Demi Smoloktou

Post Graduate Research Student

D.Smoloktou@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Demi holds a BA in Accounting and Finance. She has also completed two master's degrees; MSc Corporate Environmental Management and MSc Development and International Cooperation- Social Public Policy.

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"The implementation of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in the business sector; evaluating current practice, developing new methods for tackling forced labour and exploitation, and understanding the role of state and non-state actors in this context".

Demi's work focuses on modern slavery in supply chains, global production networks, global value chains and trade, with analyses on both sustainability and Human Rights. Her work aims to discuss current anti-slavery legislation and implementation as well as different forms of contemporary unfree labour. She also considers the dynamics between state and non-state actors in these processes. This is a interdisciplinary project between the Department of Politics and the Management School.

Research Group Membership

Centre for study of International Slavery

Research Funding

University of Liverpool; Histories, Languages and Cultures bursary.

Alexandra Williams-Woods

Postgraduate Research Student

a.williams-woods@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Alexandra has an MA in International Relations and Security.

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"Abolition and Agenda: An investigation into human trafficking and modern slavery and the connection between 'ideas', policy outputs and victim outcomes."

Alexandra's research aims to map the connections between pre-existing ideas and interests and the human trafficking and modern slavery movement. Following on from this I am tracing the impact and influence of these ideas on policy outputs and ultimately, through a systematic review of victim impact studies, mapping the evidence base for policy interventions.

Alexandra's wider research interests encompass studies of human rights, gender and migration.

Research Group Membership

Centre for the Study of International Slavery.

Research Funding

John Lennon Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Asmar Yusifova

Postgraduate Research Student

asmaryu@liverpool.ac.uk

Biography

Asmar Yusifova has a BA in International Law and an MA in International Litigation both of which were obtained while she studied at the University of Kyiv.

Research Interests

Thesis Title

"Internally displaced persons in Ukraine in the context of international political discourse."

Asmar's research focuses on the internally displaced persons in Ukraine in the context of international political discourse. Specifically, she considers the status of displaced people due to the recent crisis in Eastern Ukraine. The prime purpose of her research is to analyse the adequacy of the existing legal norms and status of such persons and the search for acceptable and appropriate ways to increase their social, economic and legal protection in the context of both domestic and international practice and in the regulation of the status of displaced persons and to develop an efficient model of public policy in relation to IDPs, their humane treatment, their safety, socio-economic integration and access to education and healthcare.

Research Group Membership

Asmar is a member of the 'Europe in the World Centre' research group.

Tianze Zhang (Linda) 

Post Graduate Research Student

Tianze.zhang@liverpool.ac.uk 

Thesis Title

"Controversies within the transitional justice process in Northern Ireland."

Biography

Illinois Wesleyan University (BA) 

Durham University (MSc) 

Research Interests

Interested in researching about how ideologies of parties in Northern Ireland has impacted their attitudes towards the transitional justice process and the controversies being created given to this reason.