Bethan Winter is a cultural historian of modern Europe, focusing on the international and transnational history of the Cold War, and the relationship between culture and politics under socialism. Her doctorate explored the cultural diplomacy of the German Democratic Republic through the country's musical heritage. Her current research focuses on East-West networks during the Cold War between the UK and countries across East-Central Europe. From philosophers in Czechoslovakia to nuclear physicists in the Soviet Union, the work aims to show the breadth of contact that took place across the Iron Curtain. Bethan is also interested in sensory history, especially historical acoustemology.

Bethan holds a master's in Music from the University of Cambridge, a master's in History from UCL-SSEES, and a doctorate in Modern European History from the University of Oxford. Amongst others, she has received scholarships from the Alfred-Toepfer Stiftung (Berlin) and Adam-von-Trott Stiftung (Göttingen), and held fellowships at the German Historical Institute (Warsaw), Central European University (Budapest), Czech Academy of Sciences (Prague), and grants from the German History Society and American Institute of Physics. Before joining Sussex, Bethan was a Lecturer in Modern European History and a Lecturer in Music at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. Bethan is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.