Described by one BBC journalist as 'a man who watches Westminster', Dr Lilleker is a lecturer and researcher in political communication with particular interests in political party and candidate communication and the link to citizen and voter engagement.

My teaching covers topics relating to political communication, communication theory and reception theory which are currently core to the MA International Political Communication and MA Political Psychology programmes. Through the deliver of these units I prioritise maximising student engagement, my work in this area was recognised with the award of a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

In addition, Dr Lilleker leads the Centre for Comparative Politics and Media Research and plays a leading role in developing research strategy as Deputy Head of the Humanities and Law Department. He is also Chair of the Political Communication Research Committee of the International Political Studies Association, a member of the UK Political Studies Association and the European Communication Research and Education Association.

Research

Professor Lilleker's research concerns both the professionalisation, marketization and strategic development of political communication and the impacts upon citizen engagement.
His research has covered local election campaigning and the impact upon voter choices; and party, candidate and MP's usage of the Internet, from websites to social media, and correlations between usage and gaining support.
He was involved in two FP7 consortiums exploring how social media could be an agent within conflict resolution and has led a range of projects exploring online political engagement during elections and referenda within the UK and across the EU.
Professor Lilleker's work also explores aspects of political cognition, specifically how citizens are impacted by political communication. This interdisciplinary conceptual work draws on theories from experimental psychology, consumer and communication psychology as well as psephological studies.

Publications

Grants

Outreach & engagement

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