Call for papers: Third Astropolitics Working Group workshop

The Astropolitics Working Group (AWG) is hosting its third in-person workshop at Durham University on the 9 December 2025 with the support of Durham University’s Space Research Centre (SPARC). We will open registrations for attendees and presenters on 6 August 2025.

Following on from the success of the previous two workshops in Leicester and Canterbury, this workshop will take a more in-depth approach to the group’s research by facilitating panels with discussants reviewing written work, a research methods session delivered by Dr Cameron Hunter (Copenhagen University), and a publication strategy session delivered by Dr Bleddyn Bowen (Durham University).

The workshop will be opened by Professor James Osborn, the Director of SPARC, expert in space surveillance and tracking, and a Future Leaders Fellow of the UKRI.

Research presentation panels

The event is open to BISA members only. 

You do not need to present research in order to attend the workshop. However, you are strongly encouraged to submit a draft piece of writing if you have something ‘in the works’ and are looking for feedback and discussion on it. 

We are inviting guests to submit papers or significant pieces of academic writing for the workshop so that a discussant can provide constructive feedback in the panel sessions and facilitate an in depth discussion of your in-progress research. The submission should be between 5,000-10,000 words and could be a draft article or chapter of a PhD thesis or book. This would ideally be writing that is already in development and is not intended to be something new created solely for this workshop. Rather, it is meant to facilitate in-depth discussion centred on a sample of your longer form writing and research already in progress.

If you would like to submit a piece of writing to the Research Presentation Panels, please email the AWG email astropolitics.group@bisa.ac.uk with an abstract by 19 September 2025. Abstracts will then be selected and collated according to complimentary themes as far as practicable. 

The full draft of written work for the discussant will need to be submitted by 19 October 2025. The discussant will read and review papers ahead of the panel where you will present your written research and then take questions from the discussant and the audience.

Registration and bursaries

All attendees must register whether or not they are presenting on a Research Presentation Panel. The places for the workshop are limited therefore please do not delay when registration opens on 6 August. It will be linked from this page. 

There are a limited number of travel bursaries available from BISA for early-career Researchers and graduate students to help cover costs of travel. Please state on the registration form whether you wish to be considered for the bursary.

Registration for all attendees closes on 30th October 2025

Schedule

The full programme will be confirmed on the event page once research presentations are confirmed. The general schedule is as follows:

10:00-10:15 – Arrival and coffee

10:15-10:30 – Welcoming remarks by Dr James Osborn, Director of the Space Research Centre, Durham University

10:30am -12:00pm – Research Presentation Panel 1 (papers and discussant TBC)

12:00pm -12:45pm – Lunch

12:45pm -1:45pm – Research Methods Session

1:45pm -2:00pm – Coffee break

2:00pm -3:30pm – Research Presentation Panel 2 (papers and discussant TBC)

3:30pm -3:45pm – Comfort break

3:45pm - 4:45pm – Publication Strategy Session

4:45pm -5:15pm – Closing comments and any AWG matters arising

5:15pm onwards – social and dinner in Durham city

Venue

This workshop will be held on Durham University’s campus, with the kind support of Durham University’s Space Research Centrewith precise location on campus TBC. The workshop lunch will be provided by SPARC. Please note the social and dinner in Durham city on the evening of 9 December is entirely voluntary and at the expense of attendees.

Durham University is located in Northeast England in the city of Durham, two miles from Junction 62 of the A1(M). Durham is 10-15 minutes by train from Newcastle, is on the main train line between Newcastle and London, and the Transpennine Manchester-Newcastle train line. Durham is also served by Newcastle International Airport (which is connected to Newcastle by the Newcastle Metro).

Photo by Aldebaran S on Unsplash