Contact
Biography
Caitlin Milazzo is Professor of Politics in the School of School of Politics and International Relations. She joined the University of Nottingham in 2013, having received her PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Davis.
Caitlin currently serves as Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Performance, responsible for the development and delivery of a strategy and a programme of high-profile strategic projects to enhance the academic performance and reputation of the University.
She is also Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Social Sciences, providing strategic oversight and leadership for the Faculty's Future Nottingham Academic Size and Shape Programme. Prior to holding these roles, Caitlin served as the Head of School for the School Politics and International Relations between 2019 and 2025.
Caitlin's research has been funded by Economic and Social Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Her outputs appear in internationally recognised journals, including the Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, Electoral Studies, and Comparative Political Studies. Her co-authored book UKIP: Inside the Campaign to Redraw the Map of British Politics (Oxford University Press) explored UKIP's quest to change British politics using extensive data and unprecedented access to the party's key players. Caitlin's research has also featured on the BBC and CNN International, as well as in news outlets including The Financial Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Sun, The Spectator, and The Newstatesman.
Caitlin provides regular contributions to international media, including the BBC, ITV, and the Economist, as well as election night coverage for BBC World Service. She currently serves on the editorial board of the journal Electoral Studies, as well as serving on the academic advisory board for Cententary Action and Campaign Lab. Betwee 2017 and 2023, she served as co-convenor of the Elections, Public Opinion and Parties specialist group of the Political Studies Association.
Expertise Summary
- British elections
- Voting behaviour
- Political campaigning
Teaching Summary
Caitlin teaches modules on British and comparative politics with a focus on quantitative methods and research design. Her recent modules include:
- Introduction to Comparative Politics (Level 1)
- How Voters Decide (Level 2)
- Comparative Electoral Systems (Level 3)
Research Summary
Caitlin's current research focuses on the nature of campaign messaging and the behaviour of political candidates and parties in British general elections.
Caitlin started the British Election Leaflet Project in 2014 with the goal of creating an innovative dataset of content-coded general election communications. In 2020, Caitlin co-founded the citizen science project, OpenElections, which allows voters to track and analyse election communications from parties and political candidates. The website, which includes more 10,000 leaflets, represents the largest collection of content-coded British election communications to date and provides a new and exciting avenue for exploring variation in the campaign behaviour of parties and their candidates. Caitlin's research sheds light on how political elites tailor their messaging depending on the local/national context and their own personal characteristics.
Selected Publications
PhD Supervision
I am interested in supervising students who want to work in the following areas:
- Public opinion and voting behaviour
- Elections and campaigns in Britain
- Electoral systems
- Quantitative research methods
Current PhD students
Callum Tindall - "Populism at the Polls: On the Growing Importance of Populism in 21st Century Britain"
Completed PhD students
Dr Chris Stafford - "The Will of the People? The Responsiveness of UK MPs During the EU Withdrawal Process (2016-2019)"
Dr Ekaterina Kolpinskaya - "Religious Representation In Parliament: Examining the Parliamentary Behaviour of MPs From Jewish and Muslim Backgrounds, 1997-2012"