Research is at the heart of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs. If you are interested in addressing complex, international issues and developing your professional research skills, then pursuing a PhD in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs could be for you.

Our academics offer research expertise and experience in a wide range of subject areas. They are extremely well-networked with professionals outside of academia in their respective fields.

In some cases, the Institute can provide joint supervisory arrangements with colleagues from other Loughborough University London institutes and from research teams based at Loughborough University’s East Midlands campus, for example the School of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Our aim is to create a vibrant, enthusiastic and forward-thinking research community, where academics and students work closely together on solutions to problems of diplomacy and international affairs.

The Institute has recently supervised or currently supervises PhDs in the fields of Northern Ireland and political identity in the time of Brexit; narratives and myths of contemporary Polish foreign policy; First Ladies and cultural and public diplomacy in Ukraine; comparative policy learning in times of crisis (Australia, the UK and Covid responses); foreign policy and domestic Turkish politics ; AI in Russian strategic discourse; sport as a geopolitical tool; Brexit and employment in the UK sport sector; and the role of metropolitan innovation ecosystems as diplomatic actors.