Congratulations to the winners of the Susan Strange Prize, which recognizes the best final research papers produced at the end of the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes.
The 2025 Susan Strange Prize: celebrating academic excellence in Political Science
ESPOL and its research laboratory, ESPOL-Lab, are pleased to congratulate the winners of the 2025 Susan Strange Prize, which recognizes academic excellence in the field of political science. Named after the renowned British political scientist Susan Strange, the prize highlights outstanding research conducted by ESPOL students at both the undergraduate and master’s levels.
A competition celebrating excellence
The Susan Strange Prize rewards the best Master’s thesis and the best third-year undergraduate research paper. It recognizes exceptional work completed during the 2024–2025 academic year. To be eligible, candidates were required to achieve excellent grades, with a minimum of 15/20 for Master’s theses and 17/20 for undergraduate research papers.
Following a rigorous pre-selection process, students wishing to compete submitted a presentation of their work to a jury composed of members of ESPOL’s academic and research community. The jury then met to evaluate the submissions and select the winners.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Susan Strange Prize
After careful evaluation, the jury awarded the 2025 Susan Strange Prize to one Master’s thesis and one undergraduate research paper. The winning works stand out for their quality, originality, and academic rigor. The students’ commitment, passion for research, and ability to address complex issues have made their work a remarkable contribution to the field of political science.
Best Master’s Thesis
Nozomi Miwa, Master’s in Digital Politics and Governance, for her thesis entitled: “Privacy beyond Clicks. Does GDPR Awareness and Knowledge Drive Informed Decision Making?”
Best Undergraduate Research Paper
Marème Bakaga, Bachelor’s degree in European Political Science, for her research paper entitled: “Framing Masculinist Grievance: Discursive Constructions of Far-Right Ideology in Incel Forums.”
The Susan Strange Prize: a commitment to the future
These students distinguished themselves through their academic excellence, methodological rigor, and the originality of their research. With a €1,000 award for each winner, the Susan Strange Prize highlights their significant contribution to political science and international relations.
We warmly congratulate the winners for their outstanding achievements and their commitment to research. Their work reflects the quality of ESPOL’s academic training and the richness of the intellectual debates that animate our institution. We wish them every success in their future careers and are confident that their achievements will inspire future generations of students.
See you in 2026 for the next edition of the Susan Strange Prize!
