Biography
I am a political psychologist and Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. I study how political leaders think, decide, and act — and what that means for international security, foreign policy, and the dynamics of conflict and cooperation between states.
Trained originally as a psychologist, I bring a rigorous, evidence-based approach to understanding leadership in world politics. My research analyses leaders' personalities, beliefs, and emotional responses to explain why some conflicts escalate while others resolve, why some leaders pursue confrontation and others seek cooperation, and how individual psychology shapes the decisions that determine international outcomes. I have applied this framework across Europe, Latin America, and beyond — from Keir Starmer and Vladimir Putin to Javier Milei and Evo Morales.
My work is published in leading international journals including International Affairs, International Studies Quarterly, and Foreign Policy Analysis, and I contribute regularly to public and policy debates through outlets including The Conversation, RUSI, and international media.
Appointments
Lecturer in International Relations (Assistant Professor)
University of Edinburgh, UK
Fellow in International Security
Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI), Spain
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ghent University, Belgium
Research Fellow, Digital Influence and Intelligence Lab (DIIL)
University of Edinburgh, UK
Research
What drives political leaders — and why it matters
Leaders are not interchangeable. Their personalities, beliefs, and emotional dispositions shape the decisions they make — and those decisions shape the world. My research develops and applies systematic, evidence-based tools to understand what drives political leaders, and what that means for international security and foreign policy.
Why do some conflicts between states last for decades?
Some rivalries between countries persist long after the original dispute has faded — sustained not by structural forces alone, but by the beliefs and emotions of the leaders in charge. My research examines how individual psychology prolongs or resolves enduring conflicts, and what it would take to break cycles of confrontation. This work has focused on rivalries in Latin America but speaks to conflicts across the world.
What can a leader's psychology tell us about their foreign policy?
Using established methods from political psychology, I construct systematic profiles of political leaders — analysing their speeches, statements, and behaviour to identify the beliefs, motivations, and personality traits that shape how they govern and engage with the world. I have applied this approach to leaders including Keir Starmer, Vladimir Putin, Javier Milei, Hugo Chávez, and Evo Morales.
How do emotions shape decisions at the highest levels of power?
Emotions are not noise in international politics — they are data. Fear, rivalry, pride, and resentment influence how leaders perceive threats, respond to crises, and engage with adversaries. My research brings emotional dynamics into the analysis of foreign policy and international security in a rigorous, evidence-based way.
Understanding populist leaders and their impact on world politics
Populist leaders have reshaped the international landscape over the past decade. My research examines how their distinctive personality traits and belief systems translate into foreign policy — and what that means for international cooperation, multilateral institutions, and regional stability.
Teaching
I teach at undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Edinburgh, across courses in foreign policy analysis, international security, and political psychology.
Among the courses I convene, I designed and developed The Political Psychology of Foreign Affairs — one of the few courses of its kind at undergraduate level in the UK — which introduces students to psychological approaches to understanding leadership and decision-making in world politics. I also convene Latin American Foreign Policies, an undergraduate course examining the foreign policy behaviour of Latin American states and their leaders from a comparative and longitudinal perspective.
PhD Enquiries
I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in political psychology, foreign policy analysis, leadership profiling, and Latin American foreign policy. Before getting in touch, please review my research profile and come with a developed project idea that connects clearly to my work. Generic enquiries are unlikely to receive a response.
Publications
Journal Articles
No More Mr Nice Guy? A Leadership Trait Analysis of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
DOI ↗From Confrontation to Cooperation: How Leaders' Beliefs Shape Enduring Interstate Rivalries
Political Leaders' Role in Latin American Foreign Policy: A Systematic Review
The Role of Political Leaders' Emotions in Shaping International Rivalries: The Case of Former Bolivian President Evo Morales
DOI ↗Britain's COVID-19 Battle: The Role of Political Leaders in Shaping the Responses to the Pandemic
DOI ↗Shortlisted, BJPIR John Peterson Best Article Prize
The Personality Traits of Populist Leaders and Their Foreign Policies: Hugo Chávez and Donald Trump
DOI ↗Profiling Leaders in Spanish
DOI ↗Book Review: Latin America's Leaders by Rut Diamint and Laura Tedesco
DOI ↗Book Chapters
Latin American Populist Leaders and the International Stage: Analysing Their Belief Systems
DOI ↗One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Steering Effects of Operational Code Beliefs in the Chilean-Bolivian Rivalry
Book Reviews
Review of Leaders in the Middle East and North Africa: How Ideology Shapes Foreign Policy by Ozgur Ozdamar and Sercan Canbolat
DOI ↗Media & Public Engagement
Commentary and analysis in CIPER Chile, The Conversation UK, LSE British Politics and Policy, RUSI, ECPR Political Science Blog – The Loop, Global Americans, and Duck of Minerva. Media interviews with Al-Jazeera, Times Higher Education, Kulturzeit 3sat, RTVE, France 24, and CNN Chile.
Commentary & Media
I am committed to making research on political leadership and international security accessible beyond academia. I contribute regularly to public debate through written commentary, policy briefs, and media interviews — speaking to audiences across Europe, Latin America, and beyond.
Selected Written Commentary
View all commentary
Media Appearances
Al Jazeera · France 24 · RTVE · Times Higher Education · Kulturzeit 3sat (Germany) · Anadolu Agency · CNN Chile
Interviews conducted in English and Spanish.
View all interviews
Contact
I welcome enquiries regarding expert commentary, speaking engagements, and advisory work on political leadership and foreign policy.
Office
Room 3.04, Chrystal Macmillan Building
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh EH8 9LD, United Kingdom
Online
Why Keir Starmer's psychological profile is different from other prime ministers — and what it means for his dealings with Donald Trump
The Conversation UK · April 2025
Bringing the Leader Back In: The Case for Political Psychology in International Affairs
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) · April 2025
Milei's Argentina and the unmaking of diplomacy
ECPR Political Science Blog – The Loop · August 2025
The Psychology of War: Analysing Putin's Motivations
ECPR Political Science Blog – The Loop · March 2022
What an Analysis of Sunak's Personality Could Mean for UK Policy
LSE British Politics and Policy · November 2022
Keir Starmer – A new chapter in UK foreign policy?
LSE British Politics and Policy · July 2024