This September, the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy is delighted to welcome a substantial new group of academic staff across all four of its departments. Seventeen new colleagues have joined our community this year, and have just completed two days of induction. We look forward to getting to know them and to seeing the impact they will have on teaching and research in the year ahead.
Economics
Sergio Ascencio is an Assistant Professor in Political Economy with a joint appointment in Economics and Political Science, researching political institutions, elections and political representation.
Tsenguunjav Byambasuren is a labour and development economist.
Zhao Dong is an economic historian and political economist whose research examines state capacity and long run development in imperial China.
Nilmini Herath is a development economist studying how social networks shape people's lives in lower and middle income countries.
Weizheng Lai is an applied microeconomist working across political economy, development and labour economics.
Joan J. Martinez is a labour economist researching the causes of inequality in labour markets, including labour shortages, discrimination and institutional design.
Philosophy
Rowan Mellor joins as Assistant Professor in Philosophy, working on the ethics of group action.
Jade Hadley joins as Teaching Fellow, researching metaphysics and early modern philosophy, with a focus on Émilie Du Châtelet.
Jamie Turner joins as Teaching Fellow, working in philosophy of religion through the Islamic philosophical tradition.
Political science
Violeta Haas studies the politics of belonging, examining how institutions and elites shape public perceptions of marginalised groups.
Joseph Phillips is a political psychologist researching how social and political identities shape political behaviour.
Christian Gläßel works at the intersection of international relations, conflict studies and comparative politics.
Oguzhan Turkoglu researches forced migration, conflict dynamics and memory politics.
Sociology
David Kretschmer researches intergroup relations, religion, immigrant integration and social network analysis.
Thembi Luckett is an environmental and feminist sociologist focused on extractivism, climate change and energy transitions.
Camille Portier is a quantitative sociologist studying gender, work and social stratification.
Mark Ward joins as Associate Professor in Sociology, bringing an ERC Consolidator Grant for a global study of the causes and consequences of loneliness.
A warm welcome to all of our new colleagues from everyone across the school!
