Sam Thorne

Sam joined UEA in October 2022 as a postgraduate researcher, working on a PhD in Creative Writing. His project is a crime thriller set in the world of investigative journalism in Russia around 2013-14. The critical component examines crime and spy fiction in authoritarian states, focusing on how the genre has developed in Russia, censorship of crime fiction and the potential of crime novels to challenge the legitimacy of such regimes.

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 short stories and a novel, and completed a Masters in Creative Writing at The Open University in 2018.