Dr Petra Alderman
About
I am a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Leadership for Inclusive and Democratic Politics at the University of Birmingham, and a Research Fellow of the Birmingham’s Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability & Representation (CEDAR).
My areas of expertise include democratic and authoritarian politics. I have a special interest in elections and nation branding and a geographic focus on Southeast Asia. I am a country expert on Thailand.
Along with my research work, I am an editor of the People, Power, Politics podcast where, together with my CEDAR colleagues, I interview scholars about their work and publications on democracy, authoritarian politics and elections. I am also a regular host on the Nordic Asia Podcast and Thailand Social Science Seminar Series (TS4).
Please feel free to contact me
Biography
I joined the University of Birmingham in December 2021 after two years at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, where I was a postdoctoral research fellow.
Prior to that I was a doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds. My PhD thesis was nominated for the British International Studies Association’s 2020 Michael Nicholson Thesis Prize and long-listed for the International Convention of Asia Scholars 2021 Book Prize for the Best Dissertation in the Social Sciences.
In 2020, I was selected a Young Southeast Asia Fellow (non-resident) by the Southeast Asia Research Group for my leading work on nation branding.
Qualifications
- PhD in Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, 2019
- MA in Professional Language and Intercultural Studies, University of Leeds, 2013
- BA in International Relations and Thai and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Leeds, 2012
Other Activities
- Former editor and current host on the Nordic Asia Podcast series (20,000+ downloads a month), April 2020 – Present.
- Thailand team member, Palacky University Olomouc, Sinophone Borderlands survey in Asia, March 2021 – Present.
- Thailand Social Science Seminar (TS4) committee member, May 2021 – Present.
- International consultant, United States Institute of Peace, Thailand’s 2019 General Elections, March 2016 – December 2020.
- Country specialist coder (Thailand), University of Manchester, Effective States and Inclusive Development Survey, March–July 2019.
- International consultant, United States Institute of Peace, Thailand’s 2019 General Elections, March 2016 – December 2020.
- Consultant (Thailand case study), United States Institute of Peace, Preventing Election Violence, Lessons Learned Project, October 2014 – February 2015.
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Thailand – Outlook for 2018, London, 1 December 2017.
- International consultant, United States Institute of Peace, Thailand’s 2019 General Elections, March 2016 – December 2020.
- Consultant (Thailand case study), United States Institute of Peace, Preventing Election Violence, Lessons Learned Project, October 2014 – February 2015.
Additional links
Contact details
- Email: p.alderman (at) bham.ac.uk