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Dr Alexandra Meakin

Dr Alexandra Meakin

  • Position: Lecturer in British Politics
  • Areas of expertise: British politics; parliaments and legislatures; parliamentary buildings; the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster; governance; political engagement; qualitative research methods
  • Email: A.Meakin@leeds.ac.uk
  • Website: Twitter | Googlescholar | ORCID

Profile

I joined the University of Leeds as a lecturer in POLIS in 2021. Prior to this I worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Manchester, working on the ESRC-funded project Rethinking the role of Small Parties in the UK’s Parliaments with Dr Louise Thompson. 

My doctoral research was carried out at the University of Sheffield between 2016 and 2019, and was funded by a studentship from the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics. My thesis ‘Understanding the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster: A case study of institutional change in the UK Parliament’ was awarded the 2020 Walter Bagehot Prize for best dissertation in the field of government and public administration by the Political Studies Association.  

Prior to entering academia, I worked for over a decade in Westminster, for select committees in the House of Commons and for MPs.

Research interests

My current research focuses on:

  • parliamentary buildings and spaces;
  • gender in legislatures;
  • parliamentary governance; and
  • the relationship between parliaments and the people.

I continue to research the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster and am regularly asked to discuss the latest developments with parliamentarians and in the media, both in the UK and internationally. 

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • 2019: PhD, Department of Politics, University of Sheffield
  • 2006: MA, British Politics (Parliamentary Studies), POLIS, University of Leeds
  • 2005: BA (Hons), History and Politics, University of Sheffield

Professional memberships

  • Co-Convenor, Political Studies Association Specialist Group on Parliaments
  • Political Studies Association
  • Study of Parliament Group
  • International Parliament Engagement Network

Student education

I teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, delivering research-led teaching and student-led learning. I have a particular focus on broadening access to higher education and carrying out research into innovative teaching methods.

Research groups and institutes

  • Centre for Democratic Engagement