The Department of Government at the University of Essex, ranked as the top politics department in the UK, has appointed 5 new members of academic staff.

Speaking of the new appointments, Professor René Lindstädt, Head of the Department of Government, said “Last year’s recruitment efforts have exceeded all expectations, and we are extremely fortunate to have attracted these five outstanding scholars to our Department. With their appointments, the Department has further consolidated its leading position among political science departments in the UK and Europe.”

Professor Jonathan Slapin (PhD UCLA) has joined the department from the University of Houston as Professor of Quantitative European Politics. Professor Slapin’s other research areas include comparative political institutions, parties, legislatures, and quantitative text analysis.

Dr Anna Getmansky (PhD New York University) is currently a lecturer in the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Centre (IDC) Herzliya, Israel, and will join the department in September. Her research and teaching interests include civil war and terrorism, international security, nuclear co-operation and quantitative data analysis.

Dr Gina Yannitell Reinhardt (PhD Washington University in St. Louis) is Assistant Professor of Public Service and Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Dr Reinhardt, who will join the department in September, works on decision-making under uncertainty – particularly in relation to foreign aid and international development. She also has research interests in race, migration and inter-governmental relations, trusts and disasters.

Dr Philip Arena (PhD Penn State) is currently Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester. Dr Arena’s primary research and teaching interests are international conflict and the links between domestic and international politics. He will join the department in September.

Dr Simone Dietrich (PhD Penn State) will join the department in September from her position as Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Her research interests are in international and comparative political economy, as well as democratisation and development.

Professor Todd Landman, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences said “The Faculty of Social Sciences is delighted to welcome our new appointments to the Department of Government. They join the Faculty and the University at an exciting time of expansion that builds on 50 years of excellence in education and excellence in research in the social sciences. Their research is world class and will complement the leading research already being conducted in the Department. They also bring a wide range of new expertise and knowledge to share with our students.”

Essex has recently announced its largest ever academic expansion, which will see 60 new academic appointments across the university’s three faculties. This is in response to unprecedented enrolment and a significant rise in applications.