Elections
Alongside a small team of employees, BISA is run by an Executive Committee of volunteer trustees, some elected and some co-opted. Those who stand for election are voted for by you – the members.
Elections are held when positions become available, usually once a year. Each full member receives one vote. Student, institutional, honorary, and school members are not eligible to vote.
Being a BISA trustee is an exciting and rewarding opportunity that allows you to develop transferable skills, meet new people and understand more about the development of IR as a discipline. There is an element of commitment and responsibility to understand. If you’re considering standing for election here’s some key information:
Time commitment
The Executive Committee meets four times a year and this is often half a day of business held virtually. However we sometimes meet face-to-face, either at a trustee's university or at the location of the annual BISA conference, for a day of business with an overnight stay if living outside a commutable distance. There is also work done – depending on your role – in between these meetings. Whilst the amount of time fluctuates across the year, it equates to an average of one day a month for an ordinary trustee and two days per month for an officer. You should bear in mind the commitment is not insignificant. You may wish to raise this with your line manager as commitments to professional associations are increasingly taken into account in workload allocation and progression and reward processes.
Eligibility
To stand as a trustee you must be based at a UK higher education institution and you must be a current member of BISA. We strongly encourage former working group conveners to stand as trustees, however you cannot be a trustee and a working group convener at the same time.
Timeline for nominations and elections
Nominations for our 2026 elections are open. Read the call and then find out how to submit your nomination below.
- 9 March: call for nominations opens
- 13 April, 11.59pm (UK time): deadline for receipt of nominations
- 23 April: voting opens
- 4 May, 11.59pm (UK time): voting closes
- By 18 May: BISA Executive committee endorses the election result
- 26 May: results announced
- 1 August: new trustees take up their positions
- September 2026: first Executive Committee meeting for new trustees
"Being a trustee is a chance to give something back to the profession and the discipline. This is vital in the contexts of UKHE’s economics and the changing geopolitics of the current world order. As a trustee, you can make a positive difference to what International Relations is, how world politics is taught, and the experience of those who help to comprise the discipline - the journal editors, the early-career researchers, and the rank and file of academics across the sector."
You can read more about past trustees' experience in our article 'Why become a BISA trustee?'
How to nominate
To run for election, please send an e-mail to office@bisa.ac.uk with the subject line <Nomination for BISA Executive Committee>. Please include the following information:
- Your name and affiliation
- The name and email address of a seconder. This person will need to be a BISA member and be willing to publicly declare in your favour (they will be named alongside you in your personal election statement).
- A short personal statement of no more than 200 words outlining why you should be elected (this will be used on the BISA website once the election commences).
- A CV and photograph of you. Please note that both of these will be placed on this website to inform voting, so you should remove any personal information such as telephone number and date of birth, as well as any other details you would not be happy to have placed online.
- If you wish to take on a specific role rather than stand as a general trustee, please make that clear in your personal statement.
Campaigning
To allow for choice, we hope there are more candidates than vacancies. This means there will (and should be) an element of campaigning involved. If you are standing for election, do feel free to solicit support among your BISA colleagues (remember: only full BISA members can vote). We are happy for you to use email and social media for that purpose, but we do not condone any form of expenditure as part of the election.
Queries
Queries on the process of nomination or election can be directed to either BISA Chair, Juanita Elias: Juanita.Elias@warwick.ac.uk or Vice-Chair, Victoria Basham: bashamv@cardiff.ac.uk
"Being a trustee allows me to contribute to new research avenues and share knowledge through activities that reach wider audiences. At the same time, it offers fresh perspectives on how organisations operate. It’s a rewarding way to make an impact while learning from others."
