2025 PSA TRUSTEE ELECTIONS 

17 March 2025 

 

Voting is now open! 

Do check your emails for your ballots and note that voting closes on 25 April!

 

Open Trustee positions

At least two trustee positions are available.

 

We wish to thank the following candidates for stepping forward to help lead the association: 

  • Indrajit Roy   

  • David Jeffery  

  • Emma Foster  

  • Aleida Borges  

  • Georgina Blakeley  

 

A copy of the candidate information is available to download here.

 

2025 PSA Trustee Candidates

Indrajit Roy (University of York)

I invite you to consider supporting my election as a PSA Trustee for the second term. In my first term as Trustee, I helped shape the PSA Strategic Plan for 2025-8 especially its commitments towards supporting Specialist Groups (SGs), furthering international collaborations, and promoting equality and diversity. This built on my membership of the PSA for thirteen years, as well as the experience of co-convening the Global Development Politics SG since 2016. 

In my first term, I worked with SGs to ensure their perspectives inform the Strategic Plan. I propose to use my second term to help deliver it in ways that support the aspirations of SGs and their members across career stages - including opportunities to publish in the suite of PSA journals. If re-elected, I will work with other trustees to make the PSA a welcoming home where colleagues across diverse disciplines and departments can thrive. 

 

David Jeffery (University of Liverpool)

I have the experience and vision to contribute to the PSA’s growth over the next three years as a trustee. If elected, I would focus on understanding why many colleagues choose not to join the PSA; how our offer to members can be improved; sharing best practices among specialist groups, and ensuring diverse perspectives are heard around the PSA trustee table.

In terms of experience, I was a co-opted trustee in 2023-24 tasked with running focus groups and surveys to understand members’ perspectives on the PSA’s goals, strengths, and areas for improvement - these findings informed the Strategic Plan. I also helped organise the Annual Conference in Liverpool and designed the conference mobile app, which prioritised accessibility for the first time. I have sat on the ECN committee and co-convene two specialist groups, which have both seen significant membership growth and therefore I understand the opportunities and challenges facing specialist groups.

 

Emma Foster (University of Birmingham) 

From undertaking my PhD (2004-2008) to my current position as an Associate Professor in International Politics and Gender at the University of Birmingham, the PSA has been with me every step of the way. To reciprocate, I would, as a trustee, contribute by offering support to members across the association in two areas: First, I have a wealth of experience working with postgraduate researchers and early career academics, having designed and implemented initiatives around inclusivity and research culture, and I feel advocating, shaping and sustaining our discipline relies on nurturing and encouraging those at the start of their academic journeys and then helping them transition successfully through later career stages.  Second, I am also committed to using my experience in learning and teaching leadership and pedagogical expertise relating to teaching challenging topics, inclusive curriculum, and employability to further the PSA’s charitable mission.

 

Aleida Borges (King’s College London) 

As a longstanding member of the PSA, I am deeply committed to advocating for political studies and representing those who study, teach, and research politics and international relations. Through my roles as a member of the EDI Committee, co-lead of the Diverse Voices Programme, and founding Chair of the African Politics Specialist Group, I have worked to diversify and sustain the growth of our community. My experience in governance, leadership, and inclusion equips me to support the PSA’s 2025–28 strategic plan, particularly in strengthening our discipline’s visibility, promoting inclusive professional development, and expanding international engagement. I am passionate about ensuring that political studies remain accessible and relevant, fostering opportunities for underrepresented scholars, and shaping an association that truly reflects the diversity of our field. As a trustee, I will continue to champion these priorities and work collaboratively to build a stronger, more inclusive PSA. 

 

Georgina Blakeley (University of Huddersfield)

I am currently Associate Dean Teaching and Learning and Professor of Democracy and Governance at the University of Huddersfield. Previously, I have held key strategic leadership roles at the Open University. It is no coincidence that I have spent my career at these two institutions which have social mobility and widening participation at their heart. I am therefore particularly keen to support the PSA’s strategic focus on sustaining and strengthening diversity in all its forms. From holding leadership positions at these two institutions, I have gained a combination of experience, skills and qualities relevant to a trustee role such as the ability to see the big picture and to understand detail, experience in providing inclusive and inspiring leadership, personal qualities such as kindness and compassion and experience of getting teams working towards a shared vision. Most recently, I have experience as a current trustee of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Students’ Union.

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

 

Who are our current Trustees?

  

What do trustees do?

Trustees have legal and strategic responsibility for the charity (The Political Studies Association of the UK) and must therefore act in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines. 

 

How were nominations made for these elections?

This year's call for nominations can be found here 

 

Am I eligible to vote?

  • All Academic, ECN, Retired and Unwaged/Unemployed Academic members of the Political Studies Association are eligible to vote 

  • Schools, Wider Public Members and Student Members are not eligible to vote 

  • Full eligibility terms can be found in 3.2 of our organisations Bye-Laws. 

  

How do I vote? 

The PSA is hosting their Executive Committee Elections on OpaVote

All those eligible to vote will receive an email from OpaVote that will include a direct link to voting.

NB: Please check your Junk or Spam folders in case our emails end up there! Also, if you have opted out of bulk emails you will not receive a link.

If you believe you are eligible to vote and have not received this email, please contact membership@psa.ac.uk  

  

What voting method do the PSA use? 

The PSA use Scottish STV for electing trustees to our Executive Committee (Board of Trustees).  

 

What are the campaigning rules for candidates?

  • Please keep the election a positive and good-humoured affair. If you happen not to be elected, there will be another election the following year, so please focus on telling others of your possible contributions, rather than other candidates’ weaknesses.  

  • In terms of campaigning techniques, please feel free to canvas to your colleagues, send emails to colleagues in other institutions, and post on social media. If using BlueSky (or X), please use #PSAElections25 

  • There is a strict budget of £0 for each candidate in the election; in other words, you cannot spend any money on your election, be it to purchase gifts for voters, take out newspaper advertisements, or otherwise. 

  • If Specialist Groups wish to highlight individual candidates, they must please highlight every candidate who is a member of their Group when doing so.  

 

 I have a question or complaint regarding the PSA elections, who do I contact?

The Returning Officer for these PSA Executive Committee elections is the PSA Vice-Chair, Professor John Craig j.r.craig@hull.ac.uk

Click here for full versions of the PSA’s governing documents and Bye-Laws