Dr Adam Quinn

• PhD, International Relations (London School of Economics)
• MA (Hons), first class, Philosophy and Politics (Glasgow)

Dr Quinn joined the POLSIS Department as a lecturer in January 2009, and became senior lecturer in 2013. He previously worked as a Lecturer the University of Leicester, 2007-08. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics in 2008, and his first degree from the University of Glasgow in 2001.

His primary areas of interest are the politics, grand strategy and foreign policy of the United States. He is especially interested in intra-American debates over the role and status of the United States in the world order.  His book, US Foreign Policy in Context: National Ideology from the Founders to the Bush Doctrine (2010), was about the National Security Strategy of the George W. Bush administration and its place in the longer story of American thinking about international order. 

He was leader of an ESRC Seminar Series, 'The Future of American Power', during 2013-14, in collaboration with the LSE, Chatham House, University of Warwick and City University, London. He was convenor of the US foreign policy group of the British International Studies Association (BISA) 2008-12, and convened its annual conference twice, in Oxford and Birmingham. He convened the US foreign policy section of the general conference of the European Consortium on Political Research (ECPR) in 2009 and 2011. He served as a trustee and executive committee member of BISA in 2010 and 2011. He is an alumnus of the US-UK Fulbright programme's Summer Institute hosted by New York University (2009) and the US State Dept’s Study of the United States Institute hosted by Bard College (2018). He has been an occasional contributor to events convened by the Chatham House North America programme, such as the US-UK Strategic Dialogue, co-convened with the Council on Foreign Relations.

He has occupied a number of management roles since arriving at University of Birmingham, including School Director of Research, REF Lead, and head of doctoral research. He is currently Head of Communications on the management team for the School of Government.

Dr Quinn is a convenor of the following modules:

• Global Security (undergraduate final-year)
• US Foreign and Defence Policy (postgraduate level)

Dr Quinn welcomes enquiries from those wishing to undertake doctoral research in the following areas:
• United States foreign policy and grand strategy
• United States politics

Those with a serious interest in pursuing PhD research are encouraged to consult me directly by email. and to include a detailed a research proposal. For guidance on what a good research proposal should contain, please see the departmental guidance available online

Research and academic interests

• US foreign policy and grand strategy
• American politics and history
• Theories of International Relations and Security

Current and recent projects

My current research focuses on debates surrounding US power, status and world order, especially arguments between differing ideological perspectives within the United States itself.

Administrative Responsibilities

Host of the Political Worldview podcast.

Social Media Presence

Facebook feed: Adam Quinn

Twitter: @adamjamesquinn

Views expressed through social media are my own and not those of my employer.