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Dr Tom Vaughan

Dr Tom Vaughan

  • Position: Lecturer in International Security
  • Areas of expertise: nuclear weapons, nuclear politics, futures, South Africa, Africa, nuclear energy, nuclear disarmament, security studies, critical pedagogy
  • Email: T.P.Vaughan@leeds.ac.uk
  • Location: 13.38 Social Sciences Building
  • Website: LinkedIn | ORCID

Profile

I joined POLIS as a Lecturer in International Security in September 2024. Prior to this, I held positions as a Lecturer in Strategy and Intelligence at Aberystwyth University (2022-24) and as Associate Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Exeter (2021-22). My PhD was awarded in 2022 from the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University. I am currently the Principal Investigator (PI) of ‘Theories of Change and Nuclear Disarmament’, an interdisciplinary network-building project under the Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study (NETIAS)’s Constructive Advanced Thinking (CAT) programme.

Research interests

I am interested in the politics of imagining alternative nuclear and post-nuclear futures. In particular, I research the processes by which future imaginaries of nuclear disarmament are generated and foreclosed, and the implications of imaginative boundaries on future global nuclear weapons policy. I also research the politics of nuclear weapons and energy in Africa, with a specific focus on South Africa. In addition, my interdisciplinary research on the ‘Theories of Change and Nuclear Disarmament’ project examines how concepts of ‘change’ from outside of IR might help us to imagine new pathways towards nuclear-free futures, and how other globally transformative processes such as climate change may intersect with future nuclear politics. I also maintain an interest in pedagogy, thinking about how university educators can effectively teach nuclear weapons, global futures, and existential threats in an age of global disruption.

<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

  • 2024: Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCTHE), Aberystwyth University
  • 2022: PhD, Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University
  • 2017: MA Critical International Politics, Aberystwyth University
  • 2013: BSc (Hons) Politics, University of Bristol

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AdvanceHE)
  • British International Studies Association

Student education

In the 2024-25 session, I teach on the modules PIED2501 Theories of International Relations, PIED3408 Nuclear Weapons and Global Politics, and PIED5520M Global Security Challenges.

My office hours for 2024-25 are Wednesdays 10:00 – 11:00 and Thursdays 11:30 – 12:30.

Research groups and institutes

  • Centre for Global Security Challenges