Simon Usherwood author page

Simon Usherwood biography

Professor Simon Usherwood is a UK political scientist whose research focuses on euroscepticism, UK–EU relations and public engagement with European politics. Since May 2021 he has been Professor of Politics & International Studies at The Open University. He is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Surrey’s Centre for Britain and Europe.

Usherwood has held a number of sector roles linking scholarship with policy and public debate. He served as Deputy Director of the ESRC initiative UK in a Changing Europe from 2017 to 2019 and returned as a Senior Fellow for the 2022–2025 cycle, contributing regular analysis on post-Brexit UK–EU relations. He has given evidence to parliamentary committees and is a frequent media commentator on European affairs.

Earlier in his career Usherwood taught and researched at the University of Surrey, where he developed long-running projects on eurosceptic parties and movements, pressure-group activity and the communication of EU issues. He has led and collaborated on funded research and evaluation in these areas and maintains an active public-facing blog on EU–UK relations.

His publications span journal articles, edited volumes and textbooks. With the late John Pinder he co-authored the Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction to the European Union, used widely in undergraduate teaching and outreach. Other work examines the dynamics of the UK’s referendum and negotiations, the evolution of euroscepticism, and simulation and role-play in political studies.

Committed to teaching excellence, Usherwood was recognised as a National Teaching Fellow in 2015. He has also served in professional leadership with the academic association UACES, including a term as Chair, supporting networks for scholars and practitioners of European studies.

Selected milestones: Professor of Politics & International Studies, The Open University (from 2021); Deputy Director, UK in a Changing Europe (2017–2019); Senior Fellow (2022–2025); National Teaching Fellow (2015); co-author, The European Union: A Very Short Introduction (latest edition 2019).