Student ambition within the DSA
The DSA Council is excited about the potential for deeper student engagement following the appointment of two new Council members at the 2023 AGM. Sheila Ronoh, PhD candidate at Coventry University and Zechariahs Benapugha Owutuamor, PhD candidate at University of Reading, have re-energised student engagement, ending 2023 with a meeting of student reps from many DSA institutional members and surveying student members for feedback.
Sheila would like to see the existing opportunities for students offered by the DSA to be more widely known. These include: applying for one of 16 limited places in the DSA’s PhD Masterclasses with ‘expert’ researchers that take place just before the annual DSA conference; and the chance for those who recently completed their Masters or PhDs at DSA’s institutional members to be nominated for the DSA dissertation and thesis prizes.
Sheila also has suggestions for how the DSA can widen engagement for students that she would like taken forward during her term. “I’d like the DSA to host opportunities for people to present their work and ongoing research, such as workshops and networking platforms where PhDs and early career researchers can meet, share and learn from each other – because there is power in that.”
Zechariahs would like students to be at the forefront of the development discourse. “I would like to see postgraduate students and early career researchers to be more actively involved in discussing the development issues of the world through the DSA, for example opportunities to be engaged with development partners or organisations such as the World Bank, IMF, UN at the world stage, where their voices will join in driving the development agenda.”
A meeting was held at the end of 2023, with student representatives from many DSA institutional members invited. Attendees agreed the need to: clarify the role of institutional student representatives; communicate this to the wider student body across their institutions; develop marketing material and plans to reach those students; and develop and deliver additional activities which are attractive to students, PhD candidates and early career researchers.
Students at the institutes below can get in touch with their student representative (also named below) to get more involved in DSA student activities or to find out more about the DSA.
All students at any institution can join as a student member for £11, giving you the opportunity to engage more deeply with DSA networks, study groups and receive a discount on conference fees. Find out more about membership.
DSA Institutional student reps:
- Jasmine Burnley IDD, University of Birmingham
- Anna Wood, CDS, University of Cambridge
- Saad Halawani, Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University
- Sheila Ronoh, (Council Student rep) Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University
- Hyppolite Ntigurirwa, Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University
- Jennifer Argent, Global Development Academy & Centre African Studies, University of Edinburgh
- Lucy Gathoni Njogu, DEV, University of East Anglia
- Lilian Treasure, NRI, University of Greenwich
- Sunisha Neupane, Institute of Development Studies
- Harshita Sinha, Department of International Development, LSE
- Shinzani Jain, Department of International Development, LSE
- Celia Bartlett, Development Policy and Practice, Open University
- Weiwei Chen, Development Policy and Practice, Open University
- Zechariahs Benapugha Owutuamor (Council student rep), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading,
- Asad Ali Abbasi, International Development, University of Sussex
- Raktim Ray, Development Planning Unit, University College London
- Jack Mbueyalongo Liuta, IGDC, University of York
Institutional members without a student representative are listed below. Please contact Sheila or Zechariahs if you want to get more involved in the DSA’s student group.
- Bath Spa University, School of Society, Enterprise & Environment
- The University of Bath, Centre for Development Studies
- University of Bradford, Bradford Centre for International Development
- Queen Margaret University, The Institute for Global Health and Development
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, International Institute of Social Studies
- King’s College London, The Department of International Development
- School of Oriental and African Studies, Development Studies
- University of Oxford, Oxford Department of International Development
- University of Sheffield, Institute for Global Sustainable Development
- University of Wolverhampton, Centre for International Development and Training
Council support
The DSA Student reps are currently supported by Council member Emma Mawdsley, with support in 2023 from Laura Camfield and Rama Dieng.