In early 2022, I was a keen Politics undergraduate in the third year of my degree. I was busy writing my dissertation on how the UK Parliament represents refugees; immersed in parliamentary literature, reading about select committees, institutionalism, and representation. The University of York’s Politics department reached out to the undergraduates about a volunteer role to assist with the PSA’s Annual Conference. They made it clear that, not only was I allowed to watch the conference presentations; they encouraged us to engage with them as well. I knew I had to apply.
As the conference took place in the wake of the pandemic, most international delegates were unable to travel. My role as an ambassador looked different from usual due to the hybrid nature of that year’s conference, having to undertake practical tasks more oriented towards digital conference spaces, such as Zoom meetings and managing presentation slides. I was assigned to the “PSA Parliaments” sub-group, which is my area of specialisation, and was warmly welcomed by the group’s convenors. Therefore, I was able to attend events and converse with the very people I was referencing in my dissertation. Seeing the research I had read about in seminars, written about in my dissertation, gave me insight which would haven’t been able to learn without watching their presentations. This initial introduction evolved into active participation during my Master’s degree, and I now serve as the group’s events organiser and convening member during my PhD.
From an academic perspective, the benefits of attending a conference are significant. You gain first-hand experience of how research agendas are shaped, how critique refines academic work, and how your own interests might evolve. The early PSA conferences I attended allowed me to envision a future in political science research, and the event is now a permanent fixture in my calendar. Networking is undoubtedly one of the key selling points. Working as an ambassador introduced me to leading figures in my discipline. As a student, reaching out to established academics can be daunting, but the ambassador role removed that barrier, making the environment accessible and encouraging. Beyond the academic perks, this is a role that offers experience working in a large professional setting. It helped me develop communication skills in a high-stakes setting and gave me a behind-the-scenes look at how large-scale events run from the perspective of the organisers and the academic presenters. I found this experience thoroughly useful in my professional development, especially now as I am the PSA Parliamentary subgroup’s ‘events officer’ and recently helped to organise our annual conference held back at the University of York.
I cannot recommend the experience enough. It sparked my passion for parliamentary studies and led to incredible opportunities, including an internship in the House of Commons and travel to interesting locations. If you are interested in a future of political research, I highly recommend applying to be a conference ambassador at the upcoming PSA Annual conference in Oxford.
Grace Cooper is a PhD student at the University of York and PSA Parliaments Specialist Group Convenor, whose research looks at how the processes of representation occur within the UK Parliament.
