Nicholas is a first year Ph.D. student in Political Science. He serves as the Postgraduate Research Representation Assistant, dedicated to improving postgraduate involvement within the Student Union. In this role, he oversees the organization and administration of Postgraduate Board meetings and the Postgraduate Consultation Group to enhance representation and participation.
Q: What is your research at Queen Mary?
A: My research explores the role of social media in promoting political change across sub-Saharan Africa. My research focuses on three African countries, namely, Nigeria (#EndSARS), Zimbabwe (#ThisFlag) and South Africa (#SilentProtest), examining the peculiarities of hashtag in galvanizing social and political movements, and how these influence the public sphere in these countries.
Q: How does your role fit into wider SU objectives/goals re: PGRs?
A: My role emerges within the Student Union’s broader objective of increasing and enhancing postgraduate engagement and experience. The Student Union, in this regard, is interested in building a more vibrant and engaging community of postgraduate students, with the aim of fostering collaborations and connections across the different schools.
I am excited about the ways through which I will be contributing to enhancing postgraduate student experience and participation within the Student Union and am motivated towards contributing effectively towards making this possible.
Q: What is your favourite Place in London?
A: I am still quite new to London and haven’t yet picked a favourite place. Nonetheless, I think I am looking forward to experiencing life in the city in all its many facets.
Q: What’s your superpower?
A: I think my superpower would be my eidetic memory, and ability to visualize experiences in vivid images and colours. My strong interests in fine art and music make this even more unique for me.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: For fun, I spend my time playing the guitar—doing covers or searching for the best chord sequences for a new song. I also love watching sci-fi movies and doing that with friends or family.
Q: When are you the happiest?
A: walking on the countryside, during summer, with the glare of the sun on my face, and my senses buried in Passenger songs.