News

The Department of Politics and International Studies is delighted to announce that Dr Alena Drieschova, Associate Professor of International Relations, has been awarded two prestigious prizes by the International Studies Association (ISA).Dr Drieschova’s work, Representants and International Orders: The Staging of Political Authority (Cambridge Uni…

Date: Tuesday, 05 May 2026Time: 16:15 – 19:00 (UK time)Location: OnlineOpen to both UK & International students in Year 12 England/Wales (Year 13 Northern Ireland, S5 Scotland or equivalent, including mature students).Detailed DescriptionThis Masterclass will be delivered virtually by academic staff and current students. Attending this Masterclass …

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 will continue to honour his …

The Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) is pleased to announce the publication of a new book by Dr James Wood, Associate Teaching Professor in Political Economy, titled States of Innovation: Driving the American Economy in the 21st Century (Bristol University Press).In 'States of Innovation', Dr Wood challenges the conventional…

We are sorry to announce the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend, Dr Philip Towle.Philip retired from Cambridge’s Department of Politics and International Studies in September 2012, but remained active in the Department through the examination of theses.  Philip joined the then Centre of International Studies in 1980 and subsequently becam…

Dr. Ilias Alami, Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development at the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Cambridge, has been awarded the British International Studies Association (BISA) – International Political Economy Working Group (IPEG) 2025 Book Prize for his co-authored work, The Spectr…

We pass on the sad news of the death of Emeritus Prof. James Mayall (14 April 1937 - 5 November 2025). James was the first Sir Patrick Sheehy Professor of International Relations at Cambridge, 1997-2004, after having been Lecturer and then later Professor of International Relations at the LSE from 1966. He was instrumental in laying the foundations…

The R.A. Butler Prize for essays in politics and international studies is an annual competition open to students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th. Established in memory of the former Master of Trinity College, Lord Butler, who most famously served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and who was responsible for the introduction of free sec…

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 Politics in Contemporary France."…

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 subjects and the communities…

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 he has been a valued memb…

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 Participation at a ceremony rec…

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 (Cambridge University Press).The L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize recognizes an…

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 informed students' education…

Professor Jude Browne's new book "Political Responsibility and Tech Governance: AI, Repro-tech and Structural Injustice" was officially launched at Cambridge University Press Bookshop on Friday 14 March 2025.  The book focusses on the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), and the impact of new reproductive and genetic technologies (Rep…