Image of Dr Luba Zatsepina

Dr Luba Zatsepina

Humanities and Social Science

Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies

Luba joined Liverpool John Moores University as a Lecturer in International Relations & Politics in January 2023. Previously, she held a lecturing position at the University of Edinburgh and a research position with the Proliferation and Nuclear Policy team at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where her work focused on Russian strategic culture and nuclear arms control.

Luba’s research interests centre on nuclear politics, particularly in the UK and the Soviet Union/Russia. Her work follows two main strands. The first examines Soviet nuclear weapons policy during the Cold War, with an emphasis on the discursive constructions of nuclear identity. The second explores the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in nuclear command and control and its implications for deterrence theorising. She is currently investigating Russia’s evolving understanding of deterrence and the future role of AI in its nuclear command and control systems. Additionally, she is an invited participant in the Australian National University’s project, Anticipating the Future of War: AI, Automated Systems, and Resort-to-Force Decision Making.

Luba is a co-convenor of the BISA Global Nuclear Order working group and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She also holds a PG cert in Academic Practice.

In 2024/25 Luba leads on the following modules:

L5: Debating International Relations Theories
L5: Politics in Practice
L7: The War/Peace Cycle
L4: Being Politically Engaged

Languages

English
Russian

Degrees

2020, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, PhD in Politics
2013, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, MSc in Global Social Change

Academic appointments

Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, Liverpool John Moores University, 2023 - present
Lecturer in International Relations, University of Edinburgh, 2022 - 2023
Tutor/Senior Tutor in Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh, 2014 - 2022

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