Teaching

I currently teach:

• Applied Conflict Research (PG) (since September 2023) with Dr. Clara Voyvodic Casabo

• Theories and Practices of Conflict Resolution (PG) (since September 2023) with Dr. Rhys Kelly

• Politics, Security and Development in South Asia (New PG module) (from January 2025) with Dr. Alex Waterman

• Power Shifts: Global and Regional Perspectives (UG) (from January 2025) with Dr. Gabor Batonyi

In the past, I have taught:

At the Department of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford

I have previously, at the PG level,  led the Project Implementation Management (PG, 2022 -2024) and Project Planning and Design (for the Africa Development Bank, 2023) modules.

As co-lecturer, I have contributed to Project Planning and Design (PG, 2022-2024), The International System in Theory and Context (PG, 2022) and Terrorism and Political Violence (PG, 2022-25), Politics and the State (UG, 2023 & 2024), Analysing Contemporary Conflict (UG, 2022) and Globalization and Global Governance (UG, 2022).

Department of International Development, King’s College London 

While at KCL, I convened  the Social and Political Analysis of Emerging Economies (UG, 2022), Advanced Topics in the Analysis of Emerging Economies (PG and UG, 2022), and Dissertations in International Development (PG, 2022). 

I also served as a lecturer or seminar leader on the States, Markets and Institutional Basis of Growth (PG, 2019 -2021), Project Management for International Development (PG and UG, 2018 - 2021) and Development in South Asia (UG, 2021).

I have also led/co-led experiential learning study visits including the two-week long Northern Ireland Study Visit (2023 and 2024) for PSID, and the semester-long programs on Global Entrepreneurship in India (2015) and Social Justice, Peace and Development (2011) in India for undergraduate students from the US.

My philosophy is grounded in the belief that good teaching is both a practice and a commitment—to students, scholarship, and the wider academic community. I strive to create spaces where students not only learn but also grow in confidence and curiosity. I see teaching not merely as the transmission of knowledge but as a collaborative, transformative act that helps shape engaged, critical thinkers prepared to address global challenges. My teaching is research-led, student-centric and participatory aiming to empower students as co-creators of knowledge. I draw on cutting-edge scholarship, particularly from the global South, to encourage students to critically engage with diverse perspectives.

I am an accomplished lecturer with seven years of experience in UK higher education, most recently as a permanent lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford. My teaching spans 18 core and optional modules across politics, international relations, peace studies, and applied subjects such as project management in international development and conflict research. I have taught classes ranging from 7 to 305 students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, consistently earning excellent student feedback. In recognition of my contributions, I was shortlisted for the Outstanding Achievement Award in Learning and Teaching at the University of Bradford in 2024, and I became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2025.

Beyond the classroom, I bring a deeply empathetic, student-focused approach. My six years as a Vice-Warden at the University of London’s Garden Halls, a community of 1,200 international students, shaped my understanding of student wellbeing. I supported students navigating everything from homesickness and academic pressures to complex issues such as racism, mental health, and sexual violence. 

I am also actively engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). I have presented my work on creative practices in teaching at national and international conferences. I have published in Postgraduate Pedagogies and am currently preparing a paper for Politics on using play readings as a method to teach political theory.

Equally important to me is mentoring and supporting my peers. My mentorship practice encourages critical reflection and equips colleagues with tools to foster inclusive, empowering classrooms. I co-founded and serve on the board of the ASPIRE Network—an initiative developed with colleagues from the universities of York, Leeds, LSE, and KCL to support early career academics in politics and international relations who are on teaching and scholarship contracts. 

• Selvaraj, M.S. (In preperation). 'Playing Around?: Reflections on using Play Readings in the Teaching of Politics'. Politics

• Grimaldi, A.I & Selvaraj, M.S. (2022). ‘Teaching the Teachers: Reflections from two Graduate Teaching Assistants’, Postgraduate Pedagogy. 2(1):102-123. 

• Evaluation team for: Zahra, F.S. (2023). 'Pedagogies for flourishing in uncertainty and complexity: Exploring leadership, trust, and conflict resolution with clinical undergraduates via arts-based learning approaches', Towards creative wellbeing: Codeveloping Mulitmodal Pedagogical Approaches in Higher Education. 25-35.