Experts from Kent are available to speak to the media about various aspects of the UK elections. The academic experts available are listed below.

School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Ben Seyd

Dr Ben Seyd is an expert in political trust who is available to discuss electoral turnout, national voting intentions, influences on vote choice and the impact of trust. His research focuses on public opinion, particularly mass orientations towards government, political or institutional trust and attitudes towards democracy and democratic processes.

Professor Richard Whitman

Professor Richard Whitman’s expertise is on the relationship between the UK and the European Union’s foreign, security and defence policies as well as constitutional and institutional change in the EU. Professor Whitman is available to discuss general UK politics, the impact of election results on the EU and foreign, security and defence policy. Alongside his role as Professor of Politics and International Relations at Kent, he is senior academic fellow on the UK in a Changing Europe programme and associate fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House. He is also director of the Global Europe Centre.

Professor Edward Morgan-Jones

Professor Edward Morgan-Jones’ research investigates the origins, effects and legitimacy of political institutions in developed, developing and post-conflict democracies. He is available to comment on constitutional choice and its consequences, cabinet composition and early election calling.

Dr Iain Mackenzie

Dr Iain Mackenzie is Head of Kent’s School of Politics and International Relations and is an expert in creative approaches to political resistance. He is available to comment on political protests and the ways individuals choose to express their identities and beliefs through these.

Professor Adrian Pabst

Professor Adrian Pabst is an expert in economic policy and is available to discuss the Labour Party’s economic plans in the case they win the upcoming election. Alongside his role at Kent Professor Pabst is a Fellow of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Dr Rubrick Biegon

Dr Rubrick Biegon is an expert in US foreign policy and is available to comment on how UK-US relations may be impacted subject to which UK political party wins the upcoming election. His research explores US foreign policy, international political economy, international security, terrorism, political violence and remote warfare.

School of Psychology

Dr Nikhil Sengupta

Dr Nikhil Sengupta is currently working on a 2.47 million Euros five-year project investigating opinions on key social issues such as inequality, immigration and international relations in the UK. He is able to share public opinion and attitude data trends that he has captured from his UK large-scale longitudinal survey so far and comment on the impact on political behaviour. His research broadly investigates people’s attitudes towards the society in which they live, how these attitudes develop and change over time, and how they motivate social and political behaviour. This includes people’s thoughts and feelings about their own circumstances, their fellow citizens, leaders, institutions, and government.

Professor Aleksandra Cichocka

Professor Aleksandra Cichocka is a political psychologist, available to comment on the psychology behind political attitudes and behaviours. She investigates how the ways individuals feel about themselves and the social groups they belong to affect their political attitudes and behaviours. As well as this area of expertise, Professor Cichocka investigates the links between narcissism and political attitudes including ideology, conspiracy beliefs and support for democracy.

Professor Karen Douglas

Professor Karen Douglas is an expert in conspiracy theories and is available to discuss the consequences of conspiracy theories on voting intentions and electoral turnout. Her research examines why conspiracy theories appeal to so many people, and the consequences of conspiracy theories for individuals, groups, and society.

Dr Ricky Green

Dr Ricky Green is an expert on the relationships between attachment anxiety, catastrophising, and beliefs in conspiracy theories. He is available to discuss why people believe in conspiracy theories and how beliefs in conspiracy theories can affect political behaviours and attitudes.

School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

Dr Lavinia Mitton

Dr Lavinia Mitton is an expert in social inequalities from a social policy perspective. Her specialist areas of expertise are ethnicity and poverty studies. Dr Mitton’s research interests are in the field of social inequalities in the UK from a social policy perspective. Her specialist areas of expertise are ethnicity and poverty studies. She is available to comment on proposed government policies and what changes to expect subject to which UK political party wins the upcoming election.

If you would like to speak with any of the academics, please contact the University of Kent Press Office via pressoffice@kent.ac.uk

Courses

Search for a course

Fees and funding

Why study at Kent

International

Visit us

Research

Research institutes

Research students

Popular searches

Study

Student life

Research

Business

Research and Innovation News and Events, University of Kent

News and events

Research news

Events list

Stay up to date