Dr Caroline Leicht is a Lecturer in Digital Media at the University of Manchester and Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton where she was awarded her PhD in Politics in June 2024. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, media and politics, and she is particularly interested in political and gendered representation in non-traditional news sources such as political comedy and memes. 

Caroline currently serves as Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Association (PSA) Women and Politics Specialist Group and on the International Advisory Board of Political Studies Review. She previously served as the Communications Officer of the PSA Early Career Network from 2022 to 2024 (elected term). 

Throughout her academic career to date, Caroline has studied and worked at universities in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her research has been published in Political Studies Review, in the European Journal of Politics and Gender and in Politics. She regularly provides expert commentary to news media outlets and is a frequent contributor to academic blogs.

​Outside of academia, Caroline has worked as an editor and reporter in print, online and television journalism. For instance, she covered elections in the US (2020), in the UK (2019) and in Germany (2017 and 2021).