SOAS University of London

Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy

CISD Members

Academic Members

Professor Stephen Chan, OBE
Director of CISD
Stephen Chan

Politics of southern Africa, normative values and non-Western methodologies

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4655
  • Email: sc5@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 253
  • Academic Support Hours: Tuesdays 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Dr Felix Berenskoetter
Felix Berenskoetter
International Relations Theory, Concept Analysis, Identity, Power, Security, Time, Friendship, Transatlantic Relations, European Security, Sociology of the Discipline
  • Tel: +44 (0) 207 898 4682
  • Email: fb12@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 225
  • Academic Support Hours: On request
Professor Michael W. Charney
Mike Charney
The history of Buddhist societies in South and Southeast Asia and of culture, technology, and warfare in colonial Africa and Asia
  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4612
  • Email: mc62@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 322
  • Academic Support Hours: Tuesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Dr Ashley Cox
Lecturer
Director of Distance Learning Programmes
Staff Silhouette

United States' Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Security, Political and Military History

Dr Catriona Drew
Staff Silhouette

Public International Law; international legal history (particularly self-determination of peoples), and legal theory

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4482
  • Email: cd4@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: S332
  • Academic Support Hours: Wednesdays 17:15 - 18:45
Dr Harald Heubaum
Harald Haubaum

Senior Lecturer in Global Energy and Climate Policy

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4362
  • Email: hh15@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 4431
  • Academic Support Hours: By appointment
Dr Vino Kanapathipillai
Vino Kanapathipillai

International security, multinational enterprises, international public policy, international political economy, global governance.

  • Email: vk2@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 4432
  • Academic Support Hours: Tuesdays 11:00am - 2:00pm (T1 only)
Dr Hanns Bjoern Kendel
Hanns Bjoern Kendel

Security, South Asia, International Law, Political and Legal Philosophy

  • Email: hk4@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 4434
  • Academic Support Hours: Tuesdays 2:00pm - 3:00pm & by appointment
Dr J. Simon Rofe
Reader in Diplomatic and International Studies
Director of Distance Learning Programmes
Simon Rofe Profile Picture

Dr J Simon Rofe is the inaugural director of CISD's Global Diplomacy Masters distance learning programme.  Prior to joining SOAS he was Distance Learning Director at the University of Leicester managing a suite of four International Relations Programmes.

Professor Dan Plesch
Professor of Diplomacy and Strategy
Dan Plesch

Applied International Relations, weapons of mass destruction, diplomacy, globalisation and corporate accountability, globalisation and democracy, globalisation and energy, the role of international non-governmental organisations, the United Nations and the Nazis.

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4841
  • Email: dp27@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 4417
  • Academic Support Hours: Mondays 12:00 noon - 2:00pm
Dr Pallavi Roy
Pallavi Roy

Pallavi is a Senior lecturer in International Economics at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS.

Dr Leslie Vinjamuri
Chair of the CISD International Relations Speaker Series
Leslie Vinjamuri

International Organisation; International Politics of International and Transitional Justice; Religion, Human Rights and International Relations Theory; International Diplomacy and the Use of Force; International Diplomacy and Transitional States.

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4758
  • Email: lv@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 212
  • Academic Support Hours: Fridays 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Dr Yanan Song
Lecturer in Diplomacy and Public Policy
Song, Yanana 2

Dr Yanan Song is a Lecturer in Diplomacy and Public Policy at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD). Prior to joining SOAS she was a Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics at University of Exeter. She had her PhD degree in Politics at Durham University, and completed her MSc in International Public Policy at University College London (UCL).

Dr Tobias Franz
Lecturer in International Economics
Tobias Franz

Political economy of institutions, elite politics and development, late industrialisation policies, productivity growth, regional economics, local economic development, developmentalist and post-development debates. Regional focus on Latin America with a special emphasis on Colombia.

  • Tel: +44(0) 207 898 4312
  • Email: tf2@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 283
  • Academic Support Hours: See below

Global Fellows

Research Associates

Professor Amitav Acharya
Senior Fellow
Amitac Acharya

Amitav Acharya is the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Distinguished Professor at the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC.

Marissa Conway
Research Associate
Marissa Conway

Marissa Conway is the Co-Founder of the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy and in 2019 was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for her work. She is currently earning her PhD in Politics at the University of Bristol and is a member of the Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy initiative.

 

Andrew Gilmour
Senior Fellow
Andrew Gilmour

Andrew Gilmour has recently stepped down from the United Nations after 30 years. He was the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights from 2016 to 2019.

Dr Orzala Nemat
Research Associate
Orzala Nemat

Dr. Orzala Nemat, an internationally known Afghan scholar & think tank leader. She is an expert in political ethnography, holding a PhD in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and MSc in Development Planning from the University College London (UCL).

David Rowe
Research Associate
David Rowe

David Rowe is Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Western Sydney University and Honorary Professor, University of Bath. He is a sociologist of media and popular culture, with a particular interest in journalism, sport and leisure. David’s work encompasses the subject of sport and diplomacy, especially in East Asia and Australasia. His work has been translated into several languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Italian, Spanish and Turkish.

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa
Research Associate
Ayesha Siddiqa

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa is an expert on civil-military relations in South Asia. She has worked extensively on Pakistan military - its politics, decision-making and arms procurement. In the past few years her work has focused on understanding the drivers of radicalism and militancy in Punjab and Sindh that led her to explore the ideological and philosophical linkages between South Asia and the Middle East with an emphasis on transfer of knowledge since the late 18th century.  

Tutors

Dr Mba Chidi Nmaju
Teaching Fellow
Mba Chidi Nmaju

Mba Chidi Nmaju is a Teaching fellow at the Centre for international studies and diplomacy, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Dr Nmaju has published several peer reviewed articles on international law and African conflicts.

Dr Hisham Sabbagh
Teaching Fellow - Diplomatic Practice
Hisham Sabbagh

Dr Hisham Sabbagh’s research focuses on International Mediation, Foreign Policy Analysis,
the Politics and Security of the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy towards the Middle East.

Online Learning Tutors

Dr Vino Kanapathipillai
Vino Kanapathipillai

International security, multinational enterprises, international public policy, international political economy, global governance.

  • Email: vk2@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 4432
  • Academic Support Hours: Tuesdays 11:00am - 2:00pm (T1 only)
Ewan Lawson
Ewan Lawson

Ewan is a former serving officer in the Royal Air Force with a highly varied experience but with a long term background in policing and security. He has worked extensively in Africa most recently in South Sudan, and maintains a practical interest in peace keeping and conflict resolution. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

Administrative Staff

Sophie Elgood
Academic Support Manager (Campus Programmes)
Elgoog sophie
  • Room: 221