My name is Sasha, and I am very excited to be a new PhD fellow at the Department of Global Studies. I have a BSc in European Studies from SDU and an MSc in International Relations with a focus on EU Studies from Aalborg University. During my masters, I was lucky enough to be an intern here at the Department, so I am very happy to see many of your familiar faces again.

My master’s thesis, along with some of my internship work, was focused on the role of emotions in EU foreign policy initiatives, and my PhD project will continue along similar lines: I will be employing the natural language processing model, EmoRoBERTa, to measure the emotions presented in foreign policy statements by the EU towards geopolitical adversaries, i.e. Russia and China, while utilizing document analyses and field work to assess the validity of the model. My aim is to build on existing research of the EU as an ‘emotional community’, by researching the extent in which ‘emotional incentives’, shaped by the EU’s historical experiences and geopolitical considerations, influence the actor’s foreign policy strategies.

On a more personal level, I grew up in a predominantly Asian-American area of Los Angeles, so in order to combat my ‘food homesickness’, I very much enjoy cooking – especially Thai food. I am also an avid reader – mostly in the mystery and fantasy genres – and am always happy to discuss a good book.

Contact:
Sasha Denae Juul Nielsen
Jens Chr. Skous Vej 7
Bygning 1465
8000 Aarhus C
au756931@cas.au.dk