Social & Political Science, Philosophy, Anthropology

A picture of some puppies behind a wire fence and text about a free online Anthrozoology conference

FREE online postgraduate Anthrozoology conference, 27th-29th March. Learn more about what the MA and PhD Anthrozoology programmes at UoE have to offer! Link for registration and more info:
anthrozoologyassymbioticethics.com/online-anthr...

Paul Mason and Carl Hunter OBE appointed Honorary Fellows at the Centre for the Public Understanding of Defence and Security and Exeter’s Defence, Security & Resilience Network Award-winning journalist, writer and political consultant Paul Mason and Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE have been appointed as Honorary Senior Research Fellows at the University of Exeter’s Centre fo...

Carl Hunter OBE and @paulmason.bsky.social have been appointed as Honorary Fellows at the @exeter.ac.uk Centre for the Public Understanding of Defence and Security

@fhpitts.bsky.social

news.exeter.ac.uk/top-stories/...

Moving for opportunities? The occupational destinations of 25-year-olds from rural and coastal areas in England There is considerable interest in the extent to which young people are occupationally mobile in comparison to their parents and the role of education. While previous studies have considered the geo...

Dr Chris Playford and colleagues from The Centre for Social Mobility show how geography shapes opportunity for young people.
Their findings:
Those who stay in their local area have different opportunities to movers;
Movers tend to be more advantaged;
Those from seaside towns are less likely to move.

Last week, staff across HASS came together for International Women’s Day, celebrating impactful research & powerful stories. From a digital gallery of female academics to inspiring panels on community & belonging. Thank you to everyone who shared their voice and passion.💚

https://ow.ly/qCfo50Yrjvr

Check out @lucyosler.bsky.social on BBC Radio Devon @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social from about 47 minutes in, talking about how humans form personal relationships with chatbots.

Great analysis from @hannahbunting.bsky.social on the Gorton and Denton by-election @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

My comments for the @wsj.com on China's approach to the conflict in Iran

@cais-exeter.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/iran-c...

Today!

Why China’s ties with Iran will endure despite death of Khamenei Killing of Iranian supreme leader has sparked turmoil and triggered talk about an ideological shift to the West.

Featuring analysis by Dr @andreaghiselli.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

Farming Today - 02/03/26: Officially enough rain, Mrs Wilmot's Pippin, land use pressure - BBC Sounds A silver lining to 2026's wet start: scientists say we're leaving 2025's drought behind.

Great to hear Steven Emery of @crpr-exeter.bsky.social talking on BBC Farming Today www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... about land use and the competing pressures on our land ahead of the publishing of the government's final version of the Land Use Framework for England (coming soon).

La montée en puissance de la monnaie chinoise dans les échanges en Afrique L’expansion de l’usage du yuan est un moyen pour Pékin de s’assurer des soutiens « sur le plan diplomatique » et pour la banque centrale chinoise de diversifier ses réserves. Il reste toutefois limité...

Featuring analysis by @andreaghiselli.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.lemonde.fr/afrique/arti...

New study from @lucyosler.bsky.social providing analysis of the troubling ways in which human-AI interactions can lead to inaccurate beliefs, distorted memories and self-narratives. @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

Professor Harry West discusses his research and our exciting MA in Food Studies YouTube video by University of Exeter

Learn about food systems! @exeter.ac.uk has scholarships available (bit.ly/4r9cKod) for the MA in Food Studies linked with the @exeterfood.bsky.social network and run from @crpr-exeter.bsky.social. See Harry West's intro to the course here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEL...

LibGuides: LGBTQ+ Collections: LGBTQ+ History Resources List LibGuides: LGBTQ+ Collections: LGBTQ+ History Resources List

February is LGBTQ+ History Month! Borrow any book from the displays at Forum & St Luke's Libraries and discover more via the LGBTQ+ History Reading List: bit.ly/ExeterUniLibLGBTQHistoryList. Recommend books you'd like to see in the Library via the form on the Libguide: libguides.exeter.ac.uk/lgbtq

University of Exeter researchers working to assess the reasoning power of AI scientists A University of Exeter expert is working to ensure AI can better help scientists safely make rapid advances in vital fields such as drug discovery at a fraction of the current costs. Stephan Guttinger...

Huge congratulations to our colleague Stephan Güttinger on his Leverhulme award, which will explore the error-reasoning ability of AI Scientists. The four-year project will bring together experts in philosophy, the natural sciences, and computer science. @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

UK’s “dangerously slow” home defence efforts leave nation unprepared for foreign threats, report warns
https://ow.ly/MfEL50Ya20I

Record-breaking council by-election trends means candidates more likely to win with less voter support, study warns The growing trend of record-breaking council by-election results will mean more close contests and more candidates winning with little voter support, a new report warns. Last year saw an increasing nu...

New analysis from the University of Exeter’s Elections Centre by @hannahbunting.bsky.social and Michael Thrasher shows dramatic shifts in local council by-elections, with more parties than ever contesting seats and far fewer votes required to win @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

The Shame Lab | LinkedIn The Shame Lab | 131 followers on LinkedIn. Through research, training, and engagement, we are making shame competence a standard of professional practice | Who We Are The Shame Lab is a research, trai...

A hugely interesting dive into the data about how people recover from shame, co-authored by Luna Dolezal @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social Will Bynum and Anna Kulawiec. Published in Academic Medicine academic.oup.com/academicmedi...

www.linkedin.com/company/the-...

Resources

The Local Elections Handbook 2025 is now available on the Elections Centre website: electionscentre.uk/resources/
It details the definitive record of all the councillor elections that took place in May 2025. Plus, it marks the 40th edition of local elections handbooks! @hannahbunting.bsky.social

New research highlights the reality for women in farming: a report from @crpr-exeter.bsky.social and The Farming Community Network fcn.org.uk highlights the link between involvement in decision-making and loneliness. Read the full report here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/womeninfarmi...

Feral AI gossip with the potential to spread damage and shame will become more frequent, researchers warn https://ow.ly/BWvI50Y03tR
Social & Political Science, Philosophy, Anthropology

China senses opportunity as U.S. targets Iran and Venezuela China is trying to position itself as a stabilizing force amid U.S. actions on Venezuela and Iran — but its commitment to allies is largely pragmatic, analysts say.

Featuring analysis from @andreaghiselli.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

ECPR We are the European Consortium for Political Research.

Congratulations to colleagues Lise Herman, Alice Moseley and Mathieu Prevelato @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social who received a Best Paper Award nomination for their contribution ‘To what extent are deliberative DMPs politicised, how and by whom?’ at the 2025 ECPR General Conference @ecpr.bsky.social

Picture of trees and bushes on a frosty lawn, not long after dawn, with a glimpse of an attractive building in the background

We are hiring! We are looking for a Lecturer in Criminology to start in September 2026 based at our beautiful campus in Exeter and potentially also working in our highly regarded Centre for Computational Social Science housed within our department. Closes 08/02/26. jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...

Kleptocratic networks should be treated as transnational enterprises and national security threats, new report warns Kleptocratic “ecosystems” should be seen as transnational enterprises and national security threats, with the recovery of assets legally linked not only to the individual criminal acts but to the syst...

Kleptocratic networks should be treated as transnational enterprises and national security threats: new report here: tinyurl.com/4csxv5cd by @jheathershaw.bsky.social and Tom Mayne from @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social and @marianizzero.bsky.social. See the press release here:

APSA-PSA International Partnership Award - Political Studies Association The APSA-PSA International Partnerships Award honours political scientists engaged in collaborative and productive cross-national partnerships that make a

*PSA PRIZES* APSA-PSA International Partnership Award
🏅 Awarding political scientists engaged in collaborative & productive cross-national partnerships in the areas of teaching, research, or civic engagement.
📆 Application deadline 11 February 2026
➡️

My review of the studies that used digital trace data in Russia has been published in Communist and Post-Communist Studies: doi.org/10.1525/cpcs...

Feral AI gossip with the potential to spread damage and shame will become more frequent, researchers warn “Feral” gossip spread via AI bots is likely to become more frequent and pervasive, causing reputational damage and shame, humiliation, anxiety, and distress, researchers have warned. Chatbots like Cha...

Chatbots don’t just make things up—they generate and spread gossip, complete with negative evaluations and juicy rumours that can cause real-world harm, according to new analysis by @joelkrueger.com and @lucyosler.bsky.social from the University of Exeter @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

Rumours about replacing Keir Starmer overlook several important polling details Voters are undecided and no party is polling particularly well. All is not well for the UK prime minister – but talk of his imminent removal may be premature.

Co-Director of The Elections Centre, @hannahbunting.bsky.social has written for @uk.theconversation.com on the rumours around Keir Starmer's leadership and what the latest polling shows us @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

Your Party: if the name sounds terrible, there’s a good reason for it Parties of the British left have been notorious for the arguments about what names mean. No wonder this new endeavour chose a name that effectively says nothing.

'Your Party: if the name sounds terrible, there's a good reason for it' @nickdickinson.bsky.social of @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social in @uk.theconversation.com