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Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)

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The Centres and Institutes

POLIS includes seven Centres and Institutes which embody the intellectual diversity of the Department through their academic programmes and inspirational research across a broad range of subjects.

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POLIS students are taught by members of a dynamic community of academics and researchers offering world class teaching and analysis of the world's most complex and pressing issues.

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2026 RA Butler Prize

RA Butler Prize Questions Now Available

The R.A. Butler Prize is an annual essay competition in politics and international studies, open to students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th. The Prize is a joint initiative between Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Department of POLIS. The deadline for submission is 12 noon (BST) on 31 July 2026

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Congratulations to Dr Ilias Alami, the winner of the 2025 BISA Prize - 250

Dr Ilias Alami Wins Prestigious 2025 BISA-IPEG Book Prize

Dr. Ilias Alami , Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development, has been awarded the British International Studies Association (BISA) – International Political Economy Working Group (IPEG) 2025 Book Prize for his co-authored work, The Spectre of State Capitalism (Oxford University Press).

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Link to the PhD Photography Competition winners

2025 PhD Photography Competition Winners

The Department of Politics and International Studies is thrilled to announce the winners of this year's PhD Fieldwork Photography Competition ! Each year, this competition celebrates the incredible visual work our PhD students capture during their fieldwork, showcasing the diverse and profound ways they engage with their...

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Antoine Sander is the 2025 Winner of the Lisa Smirl PhD Prize

The Department of Politics and International Studies is delighted to announce that Antoine Sander is the 2025 winner of the Lisa Smirl PhD Prize for the best PhD thesis completed in the previous academic year. Antoine's winning thesis is titled "Social Media, Radical Democracy, and the Popular Public Sphere: Digital...

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News link: Cambridge PhD Student Honoured for Exceptional Contributions to Access and Widening Participation

Cambridge PhD Student Honoured for Exceptional Contributions to Access and Widening Participation

Abii-Tah Bih, a PhD student in the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Cambridge, has been awarded for her outstanding work in widening participation for aspiring African postgraduates. Ms. Bih received a prestigious Cambridge SU Award for Contributions to Access and Widening...

Read more at: Dr Farhana Afrin Rahman Honoured with L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize
https://www.polis.cam.ac.uk/news/farhana-afrin-rahman-honoured-lhm-ling-outstanding-first-book-prize-after-exodus

Dr Farhana Afrin Rahman Honoured with L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Farhana Afrin Rahman has been awarded the prestigious L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize at the 2025 BISA Awards for her ground-breaking work, After the Exodus: Gender and Belonging in Bangladesh's Rohingya Refugee Camps. After the Exodus offers a compelling and nuanced examination...

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Congratulations Professor Duncan Kelly 250

Professor Duncan Kelly Appointed as Professor of Politics

The Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Cambridge is delighted to announce the appointment of Duncan Kelly as Professor of Politics (effective 1 July 2025). His election to this position marks a significant new milestone in Professor Kelly's distinguished career at Cambridge, where...

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Dr Ilias Alami Winner of the 2025 Aaron Rapport Teaching Prize

Dr Ilias Alami is the 2025 Aaron Rapport Teaching Prize Winner

The Department of Politics and International Studies is delighted to announce the 2025 Aaron Rapport Teaching Prize for excellence in teaching has been awarded to Dr Ilias Alami . Each year, the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) awards a prize based on student feedback to the individual who has best...

Read more at: The University of Cambridge named best university for politics in the 2025 Complete University Guide
best university for Politics - Cambridge Department of Politics and International Studies

The University of Cambridge named best university for politics in the 2025 Complete University Guide

With a perfect score of 100, Cambridge scored the highest in the subject of politics among universities ranked on a wide variety of criteria including: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality and graduate prospects

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Are you an International Student Considering Postgraduate Study in POLIS?

Would you like to know more about what it's like to study at Cambridge? You can chat with a Cambridge student from your home country or even a current postgraduate student within the Department of Politics and International Studies.

  

News

Marking Ten Years: Remembering Giulio Regeni

25 January 2026

This year is the 10th anniversary of the abduction and murder of Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni. In January 2016 the 28-year-old was murdered in Cairo, Egypt while conducting his doctoral research (Centre for Development Studies and Girton College). We remember Giulio Regeni as a symbol of intellectual courage and...

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Department of Politics and International Studies, The Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP

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Contact: enquiries@polis.cam.ac.uk

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