Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Aston University
I grew up in the north of England and am a graduate of the University of Cambridge (BA Social and Political Studies and M.Phil. Historical Studies) as well as a former Joseph Hodges Choate Fellow at Harvard University from 2000-01.
My PhD studies took me to Florence, where I completed my dissertation at the European University Institute under the masterful supervision of Friedrich Kratochwil. From 2008-10 I had the great pleasure of being a lecturer in the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania. I returned to Europe in Autumn 2010 to take up a lectureship at the University of Aberdeen, before moving to the University of Stirling in 2013. In January 2017 I began teaching at Aston University.
My research interests include European integration, especially the ongoing Brexit negotiations and issues to do with the Eurozone, as well as international relations theory. Those are subjects I blog on for outlets such as the Conversation or the LSE’s EUROPP. Prospective research students in those areas are welcome to drop me a line to discuss possible projects. At Aston I teach Introduction to Studying and Researching Politics for first-year undergrads and other modules for third-years and post-graduates.
I’m a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and also an Associate Editor at ECPR Press. I'm the author of Why the UK Voted for Brexit: David Cameron’s Great Miscalculation (Palgrave Pivot, 2016).
Brexit deal done: what's in it and where next for the UK and EU?
Dec 29, 2020 14:33 pm UTC| Economy
To misquote Shakespeare, our Brexit negotiating revels now are ended. The tempestuous talks did not lead to a dramatic walkout, even if it at times the UK government gave the impression this was a feud worthy of the...
A no-deal Brexit could damage the UK's ability to cope with pandemics
Oct 21, 2020 23:21 pm UTC| Health
As the UK-EU deal or no-deal drama limps on, most attention focuses on the economic consequences of a new trade relationship. But UK health security in the sense of measures to prevent and mitigate health emergencies such...
Brexit waiting game: the truth behind Theresa May's delay tactics
Dec 17, 2018 10:46 am UTC| Insights & Views
If theres one thing that unites supporters of Brexit and its opponents, the passionate and the apathetic, it is the plaintive question: when will it end? No one can deny that the process of leaving the EU has been...
There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well
Emissions impossible? How the transport sector can help make the 2050 net-zero goal a reality
Did Biden really steal the election? Students learn how to debunk conspiracy theories in this course
Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell