Dr. Rachel Gibson

Biography

Rachel Gibson joined the University of Manchester as Professor of Politics in the Institute for Social Change in December 2007. In 2016, she was appointed Director of the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research. She previously served as a Professor of New Media Studies at the University of Leicester and a lecturer in politics at the University of Salford. Rachel completed her PhD thesis on the rise of anti-immigrant parties in Western Europe in the late 20th century at Texas A&M University and held visiting fellowships at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, Australian National University, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She has led projects examining the impact of the Internet on political parties and campaigns funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Australian Research Council. Rachel has been a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on multiple studies, including the Australian Election Study and the British Election Study. She has served as co-editor for the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties and is a member of editorial boards for several leading political science journals. Her research interests focus on the use of new media by political organizations, candidates, and campaigns.

Research Interests