The PSA trustee nomination period is now closed. A big thank you to all those who stepped forward to support the association.
The PSA’s Trustees will now consider the nominations. Watch this space for an update after PSA26.
About the Political Studies Association
The PSA is the leading learned society of its kind in the UK and welcomes students, academics, and practitioners within its membership from around the world. The PSA is a registered charity which, to function effectively, requires a team of trustees (known as the Executive Committee) to set its strategy and oversee how it operates and invests its resources.
This is a particularly exciting time to join the Executive Committee as we implement our second year of our Strategic Plan 2025 – 2028 and undertake initiatives and investments to support our vibrant scholarly community.
You can find out more about our trustees and governance here.
Role of a PSA Trustee
All those elected will become legal trustees of the Association as a charity and, therefore, must act in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines – please see here for more information. Trustees serve on the Executive Committee for up to a maximum of two three-year terms.
The PSA trustee positions are open to all academic members and we especially welcome nominations from women academics and members from historically marginalised groups.
It is important that our Executive Committee reflects the diversity of our association in all its forms. Studies indicate that women and people from ethnically diverse heritage are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every single criteria. If you are excited by this opportunity but your past experience does not fit perfectly, please don’t be discouraged from submitting your nomination! You can find out more about the trustee role and what it entails here.
This year, we are looking to elect/appoint at least three trustee positions. We are particularly looking for nominees with an interest in:
- Academic publishing and our journals
- Research excellence
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the PSA
- Supporting our Early Career Network members
- Our work to advocate for Political Studies in universities and schools.
However, we welcome those suitably experienced and skilled in other areas to express their interest in this opportunity.
Trustees of the PSA have a chance to shape the organisation’s strategy and hence achieve more for our 1600+ members. This is a great opportunity to broaden your networks and make your contribution to improving the PSA as well as providing an opportunity to work with others to give something back to the discipline and support others in their endeavours. A fuller description of the role is given in our bye-laws which can be found here. Knowledge of charity governance or operations, although helpful, is not essential as full trustee training will be provided. However, some senior experience of budget, team or programme management is desirable as well as having the time to dedicate to the PSA and the ability to be strategic and collaborative.
The Executive Committee meets around four times a year – both online and in person (normally at the PSA’s London office). As such, the roles involve a time commitment in between meetings that fluctuates throughout the year but is not insignificant.
The timeline for nominations and the election is as follows:
- Nominations open: Monday 19 January 2026
- Nominations close: Monday 16 March 2026
- Voting opens (if required): Monday 23 March 2026
- Voting closes: Friday 4 May 2026
- New trustees’ first Executive Committee: June 2026.
Applying to be a PSA Trustee
Nominations are now closed
- Your name;
- Your institutional affiliation (if you have one);
- Your PSA academic membership type (e.g. Academic, ECN);
- The name and email address of a seconder for your nomination, who is also a PSA member (they may be based at your own institution or elsewhere). Their name as your seconder will be made public on your profile as a candidate NB: These should not be an existing PSA Trustee;
- A personal statement (max.150 words) that will be used within any election publicity as the rationale for why members should vote for you and what skills and experience you have that will make you a great trustee. You should also highlight how you are equipped particularly to deliver the PSA’s strategic plan 25-28 and which elements of this plan or the areas set out above particularly interest you;
- A headshot photograph to go alongside your personal statement.
- Please also complete and return this Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form
If an election takes place, please note the following campaigning rules for candidates:
- Please keep the election a positive and good-humoured affair.
- In terms of campaigning techniques, please feel free to canvas your colleagues and post on social media. If using social media, please use #PSAelection26.
- There is a strict £0 budget available for 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.
