We are delighted to announce that Dr Julia Welland, currently Teaching Fellow in International Security, has been awarded a prestigious three-year Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. Her programme of research, entitled ‘The joy of war: pleasure and performance in contemporary military conduct’, uses case study research and interviews with serving military personnel and members of the public who engage in ‘social militarism’.

Following this success and plans to develop Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity in PAIS, we are delighted to announce that the University’s Academic Resourcing Committee has approved PAIS’ bid for Julia to be appointed to an indefinite Assistant Professorship in War Studies with effect from 1 September 2016. This post is designed to support the development of War Studies in PAIS – understood broadly to include topics such as the changing character of warfare and military command, gender and conflict, cyber warfare, urban warfare, peace studies, and the politics of anti-militarism – and the recent appointment of Professor Tony King to the Chair in War Studies.