Marnie Howlett

Marnie Howlett is a Departmental Lecturer in Russian and East European Politics at the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations and School of Global and Area Studies, with associate memberships at St. Antony’s and Nuffield Colleges. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics, MA in Political Science and BA in International Studies from the University of Saskatchewan. Her research examines the intersection of geopolitics, cartography, borders, and nationalism in the former Soviet Union, particularly Ukraine, employing digital, visual, and spatial methodologies.

Current research projects analyze Ukrainian nation-building at grassroots levels during the Russia-Ukraine war, including public opinion surveys and conjoint experiments. Recent publications investigate ethical dimensions of conflict research, methodological innovations in digital fieldwork, and the geopolitical significance of territorial sovereignty. Her scholarly work advances understanding of border dynamics, identity formation in conflict zones, and ethical frameworks for sensitive political research.

Research Leadership: Co-runs longitudinal surveys in Ukraine examining territorial sovereignty perceptions and shelter politicization. Leads methodological initiatives on reflexivity and ethics in conflict research, with particular attention to positionality challenges for researchers studying active war zones.