InterpolAber

29/05/2026

Today is the end of the semester at Aberystwyth University and students have been taking advantage of the warm, sunny weather this week to celebrate the end of their exams before they head off for placements and other summer adventures. Enjoy the summer, everyone!

27/05/2026

Reposting this job advert because the deadline for applications has been extended to 21 June - please help us spread the word about this research associate post working with Professor Berit Bliesemann de Guevara on her ESRC funded research project

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27/05/2026

This semester Dr Aviva Guttmann offered a new undergraduate module called "From Mincemeat to Cyberwars: A Global Perspective on Covert Operations since 1945" about the history, theory and practice of covert operations. While the study of this topic tends to be dominated by US and UK perspectives, the module introduces students to a diverse set of case studies, with a focus on the impact of covert actions on local power dynamics.

Aviva enjoyed teaching the module and students enjoyed taking it - here are a selection of the feedback that they offered in the end of module student experience survey:

"Dr Guttmann has been fantastic, every seminar is incredibly engaging and makes me look forward to the next one, every time"

"Dr Guttmann is one of the best lecturers I have had in my university career - she is kind, caring and supportive. Her teaching style is fun and the way that the module was organised gave everyone a chance to participate and get something out of the seminars"

"Overall, the module is very enjoyable"

Well done, Aviva!

21/05/2026

Every year Aberystwyth University Court provides an opportunity for the University to report on the events and achievements of the previous year and engage with the university and wider community. A regular feature of Court is presentations by academic staff about their research. This year our colleague Anwen Elias was invited to contribute. Here is what she had to say about the experience:

"I really wasn’t sure about bringing the LEGO out at University Court – an annual event where Prifysgol Aberystwyth University shares its work with the wider community.

But Jon Timmis asked nicely, and I can’t resist an opportunity to tell anyone who’ll listen about my obsession 😀

It was an opportunity to talk with colleagues from the Careers Service and Maths about what we love about our work, and how we’re trying to do things differently.

And then everyone got a chance to experience the core principle of Lego Serious Play – using bricks as metaphor. A very quick task – choose a brick that represents why Aberystwyth University matters to you.

It worked perfectly:

✔️ Everyone had a go - from the Chair of the University Court to current and former students, from the Vice Chancellor to members of the wider community.
✔️ The room was filled with conversation and laughter – a lovely shift of energy after speeches from the stage.
✔️ We shared the varied and different reasons the University matters to us – and in doing so, shared experiences and found new connections.

These are all the reasons why I love Lego Serious Play. And it's why I try and use it in everything I do - in my teaching, when doing and sharing research, and with the teams that I lead."

19/05/2026

Job opportunity! Please help us spread the word - 2 year post as Research Associate on an ESRC-funded project. Applicants should have experience of quantitative methods and a background in conflict/humanitarianism/peacekeeping/non violent resistance or similar. This is a great opportunity for an early career scholar and will include co-authorship of project publications. Follow the link below for further details - closing date is 7 June!

15/05/2026

Last week's elections brought an end to Labour government in Wales. Writing in The Conversation, Dr Anwen Elias and Dr Elin Royles explore the nature of the changes that Plaid Cymru are likely to introduce and the implications that they would have for Westminster.

Plaid Cymru ’s historic victory opens a new chapter in Welsh politics, and a potential constitutional test for Westminster.

13/05/2026

Dr Aviva Guttmann's expertise in intelligence and international security was in demand when she was interviewed by Switzerland's most-read newspaper, 20-Minuten, about Russian President Vladimir Putin's fears of assassination and the security precautions that the Russian state took for the Victory Day parade on 9 May.

Aviva Guttmann erklärt, warum der russische Präsident angesichts der Feierlichkeiten besonders nervös ist.

12/05/2026

Our colleage Dr Ahmad Rizky Umar, a Marie Sklodowska Curie Postdoctoral fellow in the Department, will be speaking at the Indo-Pacific Roundtable at Robinson College, Cambridge on Friday, 15 May on a panel addressing contested pasts and international relations in East Asia.

Since 2021, the Indo-Pacific Roundtable has served as the flagship event of the Indo-Pacific Strand at the Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, and has grown into the largest conference of its kind in Europe. The roundtable convenes academics, think-tank experts, and policy practitioners...

08/05/2026

Recently one of our undergraduate students, Jordan Hartley, had the opportunity to visit the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt during his year abroad studying at Heidelberg University.

Jordan writes, "It was a genuinely fascinating experience to explore the day-to-day operations at the German Stock Exchange. Seeing firsthand how one of Europe’s key financial institutions operates really gave me a new perspective in my International Relations degree. It was also very interesting being in the room watching the stock prices change live.""

Moments like this remind me how valuable my year abroad in Germany is, not just academically but also in terms of real-world exposure. Being able to engage with institutions like this adds a whole new level to my understanding of global economics and International Relations."

07/05/2026

It's election day across the UK, and in Wales voters will elect a new Senedd. Our colleague Dr Anwen Elias draws on her work as part of the Welsh Election Study to explain why people in Wales are so disenchanted with the traditional political parties, and what might happen after today's results are know.

Hope is in short supply ahead of the Welsh election.