Frances Neilson is a PhD Politics student at Queen’s University Belfast, funded by the Northern Irish Department for the Economy (awarded September 2020). Within the School of HAPP, Frances is also a postgraduate research associate affiliated with the Institute of Irish Studies.

Her research is focused on British Conservative/ Tory political elites' (including the Conservative press) attitudes to Northern Ireland during the Brexit period 2016-2020 and the historical precedent of these attitudes. She is interested in British-Irish relations, Brexit, diplomacy, peace processes, legacies of empire, postcolonial politics, English nationalism, national identity, the politics of commemoration, British high politics, and the history of the Conservative Party.

Frances graduated from Queen's University Belfast with a BA Politics (First Class).  She also holds a Masters degree (MLitt) from the University of St Andrews in Peace and Conflict Studies.  She is a Teaching Assistant on the second year module The Politics of Deeply Divided Societies.

You can find out more about Frances here