Office: NW 820 i 

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 0121 204 4462

Bluesky: @thomaseason.bsky.social

Website: www.thomaseason.co.uk

Student Office Hours:  https://wass.aston.ac.uk/pages/viewcalendar.page.php?makeapp=1&cal_id=4453

• Foreign Policy Analysis
• British Foreign Policy
• Narrative Analysis
• Political Myth

Thomas is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations and PhD Lead for the Department of Politics, History, and International Relations. He joined Aston in 2024, and prior to this, he worked at the University of Lincoln and the University of Nottingham. 

In his research, Thomas takes an interpretivist approach to understand how discourse and perceptions shape the way foreign policy actors behave. He is currently working on a project analysing Ukraine's use of Political Myth in its diplomatic messaging following Russia's full scale invasion in 2022. 

Thomas is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has taught a range of modules on British Politics, International Relations, security, and research methods.

Overview 

Thomas's research interests centre around studying how discourse and perceptions shape the behaviour of foreign policy actors, often based in the UK. He is particularly interested in political myth and its role and influence within International Relations. He has also conducted research on secret intelligence and policy success and failures. To explore these different areas, his research usually takes an interpretivist approach using archival methods, elite interviews, and discourse analysis.

Impact and Knowledge Exchange 

Thomas has actively engaged in a number of Impact and Knowledge Exchange activities. While working as a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham's Centre for the Study of Subversion, Unconventional Interventions and Terrorism, he provided research support for a report on covert influence commissioned by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. More recently, he has delivered a talk in the UK Parliament on the US-UK relationship and participated in a roundtable with policymakers on UK-EU relations. 

Thomas has taught on a range of modules including core International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, Intelligence Studies, and research methods.

Modules that Thomas currently teach include:

• Understanding Foreign Policy 
• International Relations: Theories 
• What’s Trending? (Contemporary Debates in Politics and International Relations)