Professor (Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Chair)

The School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) at Durham University seeks to appoint an exceptional scholar to the Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Chair and Professor in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security. The successful candidate will provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security and will have an outstanding international profile in research and teaching relevant to the Programme's remit.

We particularly welcome applications from internationally recognised scholars working on international relations, regional politics and security, with expertise on the Middle East and the Gulf region. In keeping with the founding objectives of the Programme, areas of particular interest include the security of sovereign states, particularly smaller and more vulnerable states; international and regional security; interstate relations and conflict; external and internal security threats; crisis and security decision-making; and the roles of governments, diplomats, armed forces, international organisations and other actors in shaping regional and international security in the wider Middle East. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to pursue an ambitious and internationally significant research agenda in these areas and to contribute to a deeper understanding of the changing international and regional security environment.

A central component of the Chair will be to provide leadership for the Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security. The post-holder will lead and enhance the Programme's established research agenda, strengthen its international profile, and sustain and expand its extensive academic, policy and institutional links with Kuwait and other member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Chair will play a leading role in sustaining existing and developing new international research collaborations, conferences, symposia, publications and other activities and in further enhancing the Programme's position as an internationally recognised centre of excellence in international relations, regional politics and security. This work is supported by funds dedicated to the al Sabah Chair.

The successful candidate will be expected to provide research leadership within SGIA and contribute to strengthening the School's research community in international relations, security and Middle East politics, including through the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) and connections with other departments, institutes and centres across Durham University. They will be expected to sustain existing and develop new major national and international research collaborations and networks, pursue external research funding, and contribute to research engagement and impact with policymakers, practitioners and other non-academic communities.

The Chair will also make an important contribution to the School's postgraduate and doctoral research environment. The successful candidate will attract and supervise outstanding PhD students working in international relations, regional politics and security; mentor postgraduate students and early career researchers; and contribute to strengthening Durham's international postgraduate research community. The post-holder will also contribute excellent and research-led teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This post offers an exceptional opportunity to lead the next phase of an established and ambitious international research programme and to make a major contribution to internationally excellent research and teaching in SGIA. It provides an opportunity for an established scholar to pursue a distinctive research agenda in international relations, regional politics and security, explore new and ambitious areas of research within the Programme's remit, and strengthen Durham's relationships with academic, policy and institutional partners in Kuwait, the Gulf and internationally.

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