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Dedication by Head of LPS Prof Jo Moran-Ellis of a commemorative mimosa tree plant

Sabina’s husband, Dr Uli Sedelmeier, and daughter Tali

On Wednesday July 17th, the School of Law, Politics and Sociology (LPS) held a day of activities to remember and celebrate the life of their dear colleague and friend Dr Sabina Avdagic, a Reader in Political Economy who died suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2024. The day was attended by Sabina’s husband, Dr Uli Sedelmeier, a Sussex alumnus, and her eldest daughter Tali, who joined LPS staff and Sabina’s former students. 

The day began with the dedication by Head of LPS Prof Jo Moran-Ellis of a commemorative mimosa tree plant, which will reside on the terrace area of the Freeman Building where LPS is based, dedicated to Sabina’s memory. Sabina loved the greenery and open spaces in and around the Sussex campus, and would often go for long walks in the surrounding countryside to think through her ideas and share them with colleagues. 

This was followed by a ceremony to re-name Freeman room F30, the LPS research common room, the ‘Sabina Avdagic Room’ and unveil a commemorative plaque there in her memory. Speaking at the unveiling of the plaque, Head of the Politics Department Prof Aleks Szczerbiak said that, ‘in her leadership role as LPS Director of Research Knowledge Exchange Sabina came to define her research in the School. This was partly through the sheer force of her personality but also the clear strategy and initiatives that she developed. As a wonderful space for discussion and collaboration, with a proper coffee machine (!), the research room is a lasting physical legacy of this strategy.’ Earlier, the Politics Department had nominated Sabina for a Sussex Research Culture Awards, and in the June ceremony she was given a posthumous award for her outstanding role in University research leadership. 

The day concluded with an academic symposium to celebrate Sabina’s academic achievements and legacy. This included contributions from: Prof Lucio Baccaro, a former research collaborator of her’s and Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Germany, where Sabina had previously undertaken research; Prof James Hampshire from the Politics Department, who was working on a new research project with Sabina at the time of her death; and Prof Moran-Ellis, who talked movingly about the profound influence that Sabina’s scholarship in the field of political economy had on her own thinking and practice as a sociologist. 

The symposium was also attended by some of Sabina’s former students who talked about how her innovative and cutting-edge research had underpinned and informed her teaching, and helped them to develop and hone skills that have been crucial in their future personal and professional development. In recognition of her commitment to rigour and innovation in research methods, the Politics Department has re-named its annual Prize for the Best Undergraduate Dissertation the ‘Sabina Avdagic Prize’, which will be presented for the first time at the forthcoming July 2024 Graduation Ceremony. 

Read Sabina Avdagic’s University obituary