Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams

Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams

Social Sciences
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences

Contact details

Email
n.vaughan-williams@bham.ac.uk
Nora Olah, Interim EA to Head of College
n.olah@bham.ac.uk
Address
College of Social Sciences
Muirhead Tower
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams FAcSS, is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences at the University 麻豆精选 where he is also Professor of International Politics. He holds an Honorary Professorship in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick.

Professor Vaughan-Williams’ programme of research - supported by grants from the British Academy, UK Economic and Social Research Council, and Leverhulme Trust - focuses on the international politics of borders, migration, and security. He is a former recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize for outstanding research in Politics and International Studies and Gold Winner of the Association for Borderlands Studies Past Presidents' Book Award. His research findings have been presented to the EU Commission, Frontex, the UK Cabinet Office, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the UK Home Office, and the Maltese Presideny. 

Professor Vaughan-Williams' latest research monographs are  and  (with Vicki Squire, Nina Perkowski, and Dallal Stevens). Earlier books include ,  (with Daniel Stevens) and . He is also co-author (with Columba Peoples) of , now in its third edition, and founding co-editor (with Jenny Edkins) of the Routledge  book series which has published more than 150 titles in the interdisciplinary study of international politics. He is on the Editorial Boards of  and .

He is a  and Chair of the Academy’s Forum for Leaders in Social Sciences.

Biography

Before joining the University 麻豆精选, Professor Vaughan-Williams was at the University of Warwick for 14 years, latterly as Vice-Provost and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences (2021-24) and Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies (2015-18 and 2019-21). As Professor of International Security he was Director of the MA in International Relations and contributed to the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in International Relations and Security. He has supervised/examined more than 30 PhD students and acted as mentor for multiple post-doctoral researchers funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Earlier in his career, he held lectureships in International Relations at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the University of Exeter. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and holds degrees in Modern History and International Relations from the University of Oxford (BA and MA), the University of Warwick (MA), and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (PhD).

Research

Externally-funded research programmes as PI/Co-I

(2023-28) Economic and Social Research Council, Impact Accelerator Account, Round 3: Warwick (ES/X004635/1). Discipline Lead/Co-I from 2023-24.

(2019-23) Economic and Social Research Council, Impact Accelerator Account, Round 2: Warwick (ES/T502054/1). PI from 2021-23.

(2016-19) The Leverhulme Trust, 'Everyday Narratives of European Border Security and Insecurity' (2015 Philip Leverhulme Prize in Politics and International Relations, PLP-2015-081) (PI).

(2015-17) Economic and Social Research Council, 'Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat: Mapping and Documenting Migratory Journeys and Experiences' (ES/N013646/1) (Co-I), with Vicki Squire (PI), Dallal Stevens, Angeliki Dimitriadi, and Maria Pisani.

(2013-15) Economic and Social Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Dstl, 'Science and Security: Research Impact and Co-Production of Knowledge' (ES/K011367/1) (Co-I), with Jon Coaffee (PI), Stuart Croft, George Christou, and Oz Hassan.

(2012-13) Economic and Social Research Council, 'Public Perceptions of Threat in Britain: Security in an Age of Austerity' (ES/J004596/1) (Co-I), with Daniel Stevens (PI).

(2011) British Academy-National Science Foundation Taiwan, 'European-East Asian Critical Border Studies' (JP100035) (PI), with Joyce C. H. Liu.

(2007-8) British Academy, 'Lines in the Sand? Non-Territorial Bordering Practices in Global Politics' (SG-50847) (PI), with Noel Parker.

(2003-6) Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, 'Border Studies Research Studentship', Department of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. 

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Squire, V, Perkowski, N, Stevens, D & Vaughan-Williams, N 2021, . Manchester University Press. <>

Vaughan-Williams, N 2021, . Oxford University Press.

Vaughan-Williams, N 2017, . Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Article

Vaughan-Williams, N 2025, '', Security Dialogue.

Zehfuss, M & Vaughan-Williams, N 2024, '', International Political Sociology, vol. 18, no. 3, olae019.

Stevens, D, Bulmer, S, Banducci, S & Vaughan-Williams, N 2021, '', European Journal of International Security , vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 44-65.

Vaughan-Williams, N & Pisani, M 2020, '', Social and Cultural Geography, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 651-673.

L枚fflmann, G & Vaughan-Williams, N 2018, '', European Journal of International Security , vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 382-400.

Croft, S & Vaughan-Williams, N 2017, '', Cooperation and Conflict, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 12-30.

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Vaughan-Williams, N 2025, . in T Wilson (ed.), Border Studies: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Multidisciplinary Movements in Research, Edward Elgar.

Vaughan-Williams, N 2020, . in Border, Sovereignty, Law. National Chiao Tung University Press.

Other contribution

Jarvis, L, Lister, M, Den Outer, B, Stevens, D & Vaughan-Williams, N 2024, .. <>

Vaughan-Williams, N & Stevens, DJ 2020, . London School of Economics and Political Science. <>

Vaughan-Williams, N & Lofflmann, G 2017, . The Conversation (Online). <>

Other report

Vaughan-Williams, N, Squire, V, Dimitriadi, A, Perkowski, N & Stevens, DJ 2017, . <>