Samuel won the prize with Dr Chloe Sydney of Aberystwyth University. 

Samuel completed the DPhil in International Development at ODID in 2023. They previously studied the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies and are currently Departmental Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford. 

Samuel’s thesis, ‘Civil War and the Politics of Difference: Paramilitary Violence against LGBT People in Columbia’, explores the dynamics of violence against LGBTIQ+ people during war through an analysis of paramilitary violence against this population in Colombia in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. 

It sought to engage debates of political violence, conflict processes, and international relations with insights from political theory, psychology, sociology, as well as sexuality and gender studies, in order to understand how anti-LGBT violence relates to the logics of war. 

The prize committee said that Samuel’s dissertation “exemplifies methodological rigour through its inductive research design, careful case study analysis, ethical considerations, interdisciplinary approach, and significant theoretical contributions. Each of these aspects underpins the scholarly value of the work, demonstrating a comprehensive and meticulous approach to understanding the complex dynamics of paramilitary violence against LGBT people in Colombia during the civil war. The dissertation demonstrates an exceptional contribution to scholarship."

Earlier this year Samuel also won the Political Studies Association's Elizabeth Wiskemann Prize for best dissertation on (in)equality & social justice for the thesis.

“I’m extremely touched to receive this recognition from the British International Studies Association and to be connected with the legacy of Michael Nicholson,” Samuel said. “This dissertation owes much to the social leaders and activists in Colombia, who have worked hard to preserve their history and seek justice. I thank them and hope that my work accurately reflects the time and knowledge they shared with me.”

The Michael Nicholson Thesis Prize is awarded annually and named after the late Michael Nicholson, formerly Professor of International Relations at the Universities of Kent and Sussex. It aims to support the work of new scholars and has promoted outstanding work in many sub-fields over the years. Past winners have often gone on to pursue successful academic careers.