Dr Peter Finn

Dr Peter Finn SFHEA

Lecturer on International Relations

Peter Finn is a Lecturer in International Relations. He holds a Doctorate from Kingston University, where he was also a Senior Lecturer and a Course Leader. He holds SFHEA status, is Web Team Lead of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association, and co-runs a long-running comment series focused on US elections for the blog of the LSE United States Politics and Policy site. Along with pedagogic teaching research, his work focuses on elections, the Official Record, and oversight of national security.

Awards

2024: Lead applicant as American Politics Group won Specialist Group of the Year of the Political Studies Association 2023-24; 2016: British International Studies Association- Higher Education Academy Award for Excellence in Teaching International Studies by a Post-graduate Student

Recognition

Web Team Lead for American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association

Research / Scholarly interests

Peter Finn is co-editor of The Official Record: Oversight, national security and democracy (Manchester University Press, 2024, paperback, 2026). He has also published in various academic journals including Political Studies Review and the Journal of American Studies as well as book chapters, both discipline specific and more pedagogic focused research. In recent years, he led the project 50 States or Bust!, which explored the value of generative artificial intelligence as a tool for research in the context of sub-national level American politics. He is working on a book exploring impunity in the context of US and UK Iraq War detention operations and a project aimed at developing links between higher education in the UK and A Level teachers and schools.

Key funded projects

2025: PSA Excellence & Impact Fund for project titled American Politics Group-Political Studies Association A-Level Engagement Project (£1,350)