Oxford University bids to become major US research centre

The Rothermere American Institute (RAI) is investing in becoming the leading research centre for understanding the United States with a series of major new initiatives.

Established 25 years ago, the RAI has become the leading interdisciplinary centre in Europe for the study of the US.

But in light of the turbulence in global politics, the institute is now aiming to become the top destination for researchers, students, policymakers and the public in both Europe and the US.

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Oxford University. (Image: Unsplash)

The RAI has announced today (Thursday, March 19) its first permanent academic post in US politics, called the Churchill Chair of US Politics.

Recruitment will begin immediately for the Associate Professorship, which has been permanently endowed thanks to an anonymous donation.

The postholder will teach students, strengthen the RAI’s engagement with policymakers and the general public, and build a world-leading research group on US politics and international relations.

Named after Sir Winston Churchill, the first recipient of honorary US citizenship, it is in recognition of his commitment to the Anglo-American relationship and his lifelong fascination with the dynamism and political creativity of America.

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It has been named after Sir Winston Churchill.

The new post will also allow the Institute to set up a taught one-year Master’s course in contemporary US politics and government.

This would be Oxford’s first specialist programme in US politics, which will attract the next generation of leaders in public life, policy, scholarship, and business, training them to think in rigorous, historically-rooted ways about the great challenges of the present.

Professor Adam Smith, Director of the RAI, said: “In a world in which there seems to be an ever-greater urgency to understand what America is doing and where it’s going, the RAI aims to provide thoughtful, evidence-based analysis.

“With our experience in framing the study of the United States from the outside in, we are perfectly positioned to become the go-to centre for policymakers and the wider public seeking an understanding of politics and policies.”

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A US flag. (Image: Bobbi from Pexels)

He added: “Through our new professorship and ambitious teaching plans, our goal is for the RAI to have a major real-world impact – not only through the students and visiting researchers who would work with us, but also by providing research-led advice on the United States to public and private stakeholders.

“The current restructuring of international relations gives us an opportunity to invest in achieving our vision of making Oxford the global centre for the study of US politics and their place in the global order.”

The RAI community comprises around 40 academics in Oxford, two visiting professors, more than 100 graduate students, and 8 postdoctoral researchers.

US undergraduate students visit every year for a study abroad programme.