Advance your career in Policy and Government.

Jessica is a lecturer in International Relations at the College of Business, Government and Law. Jessica's research interests include conflict resolution, threat perceptions, and post-conflict institution-building. Jessica also focuses on innovative educational methods at the tertiary level. Jessica is particularly interested in participatory educational methods to develop interpersonal competencies such as leadership, cultural awareness, communication, negotiations and decision-making.

Jessica hosts a podcast "War in Ukraine: Update from Kyiv" with updates and analysis of the Ukraine conflict, as well as deep dives into issues of warfighting, strategy, negotiations and leadership.

Luis da Vinha is a Lecturer in International Relations and is the Course Coordinator of the Master of International Relations. He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Coimbra (Portugal).

Luis is also a member of the Jeff Bleich Centre for the US Alliance in Digital Technology, Security & Governance and a research affiliate of the Space Power and Policy Applied Research Consortium Prior to joining Flinders University, he lived in the US and Europe where he taught at Valley City State University (USA), the University of Coimbra (Portugal), and the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences (Portugal) and worked in the field of planning and development. Luis was also active in politics, namely as a party and publicly-elected official.

His teaching and research interests are in International Relations, International Security, US Foreign Policy, American Government and Politics, and Political Geography. Luis was the recipient of the 2021 Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award (Flinders University), the 2021 CBGL Vice-President and Executive Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Flinders University), and the 2016 VCSU Teacher of the Year Award (USA)

At age 7, Rodrigo's family suspected he'd have a career in research. During a trip to Venice, his father videoed him asking endless questions about what made Venice a Republic and how exactly its political system worked.  

It's this natural curiosity for politics and discovering things nobody else knows that has resulted in Rodrigo's award-winning career. In 2018, he was the first Australian political scientist to win the prestigious Young Tall Poppy Science Award. In the same year, he also won the Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award and the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers.

Rodrigo is currently researching how voters choose leaders in advanced democracies. He has found that a candidate's looks or involvement in scandal can play an important role in the decision-making process, particularly if voters have little information about politics, candidates and elections. His research has a compelling role to play in helping people understand the consequences of their choices and therefore make better decisions.  

An inspiring, supportive and innovative lecturer, Rodrigo has been invited to present his work in all corners of the globe. His research is often used by mainstream media in Australia and overseas to explain current events, allowing him to reach a wider audience beyond academe. His best advice to future researchers and students is: “Choose your path carefully. The only way to succeed is to do something you really love and that excites you!”