Sam Thorne

Sam joined UEA in October 2022 as a postgraduate researcher, working on a PhD in Creative Writing. His project is a novel revolving around the assassination of a Russian investigative journalist and a colleague's subsequent investigation into her death. The critical component examines representations of activists and journalists in fiction set in modern Russia, and the predicaments they face in trying to live and work under an authoritarian regime.

Sam also works part time in higher education, including as an Associate Consultant with SUMS Consulting, based at the University of Reading. Previously, he worked for 15 years at The Open University and became a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2023.

Sam has also worked in journalism, travel guide publishing and teaching in the UK, Russia and other countries. He has written several short stories and a novel, and completed a Masters in Creative Writing at The Open University in 2018.