Professor (Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Chair) in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security

Job Description

Professor (Sheikh Nasser al-Muhammad al-Sabah Chair) in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security

( Job Number: 26001291 )

School Government & Int'national Affairs

Grade 10

: 73,711 - 100,576 per annum

Open-Ended/Permanent

Full Time

Contracted Hours per Week : 35

Closing Date : 26-Nov-2026, 12:59:00 AM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement : Not Applicable.

Working at Durham University

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The Department

Since its founding in 2004, the School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) has developed into one of the UK s leading departments in Politics and International Relations. The School combines strong core disciplinary foundations with embedded regional expertise, reflecting a long-standing commitment to integrating area studies within mainstream political science and IR scholarship. SGIA is currently ranked among the top Politics departments in the UK by the Complete University Guide and is placed within the QS World University Rankings top 100 globally for Politics and International Studies.

We offer three single honours undergraduate programmes (BA Politics, BA International Relations, and BA Politics & International Relations), alongside joint honours degrees with Philosophy and Economics, and a PPE programme. We also contribute substantially to Combined Honours in Social Sciences and Liberal Arts pathways.

At postgraduate level, we offer a diverse portfolio of taught Master s programmes, including practitioner-oriented MSc degrees. We are home to a vibrant postgraduate community of research students and taught postgraduate students. Across all levels, our teaching is explicitly research-led and supported by a highly international academic and student body, a defining strength of the School.

Demand for our programmes remains consistently high, attracting students of outstanding calibre who progress into careers across academia, government, international organisations, the private sector and civil society. Our strategic priorities include widening participation, enhancing diversity, strengthening international partnerships, and fostering a research-led learning community that equips students to address complex global challenges.

Our longstanding strengths in Middle East politics, international relations and security studies have been complemented by strategic investment in Comparative Politics, Political Theory, International Political Economy, and Global Security. Cross-cutting institutes, including the Durham Global Security Institute (DGSI) and the Global Policy Institute (GPI), have further strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration and external engagement.

Within the School, four core research groupings structure intellectual activity including Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Politics and Security, and International Political Economy. These are complemented by cross-cutting institutes and centres, most prominently the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS), which serves as a hub for collaborative research, international partnerships, policy engagement and impact activities. Our research culture is characterised by methodological pluralism and theoretical innovation.

SGIA maintains a distinctive reputation for expertise on the Middle East, North Africa and the wider Muslim World. The School hosts several major research initiatives, including the Sheikh Nasser Bin Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security. Established in 2011, the Programme has developed an internationally recognised research agenda in international relations, regional politics and security, built academic and policy partnerships in the Gulf and internationally, and hosted and sponsored a wide range of international conferences, workshops and research activities. It has established a substantial publication portfolio, including its own in-house publication series with more than 45 publications, collaborations with international academic publishers, and major externally funded collaborative research projects. The Programme therefore provides an established platform from which the incoming Chair can lead its next phase of research, collaboration and international engagement. IMEIS also hosts the annual Sir William Luce Fellowship and other prestigious visiting fellowship schemes, as well as an annual international conference with a strong emphasis on early career researcher development. The al Sabah Chair is endowed with funding to support at least one PhD student (with overseas fees) at a time as well as an annual research allowance to support its activities.

Job Description

The School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) at Durham University seeks to appoint an exceptional scholar to the Professor (Sheikh Nasser al-Muhammad al-Sabah Chair) in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security . The successful candidate will provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the Sheikh Nasser Al-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 Al- 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.

The successful candidate will benefit from individual research support funding, access to SGIA and University-wide research funding, and will be entitled to apply for sabbatical leave in accordance with University policy. SGIA and Durham University provide high-quality administrative support to assist with applications for research funding, facilitate research-based engagement and impact with non-academic communities, and support the development and dissemination of innovative educational practice.

We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Professors at Durham

Professor are encouraged to focus on quality and innovation throughout your teaching and research activity. But we ll also look to you to provide genuine leadership and citizenship - not just in your field, but across the University environment, and in the way your department functions administratively.

Academic colleagues will have the freedom to deliver teaching and pursue research that is world leading and world changing, in terms of originality, significance and rigour. And we ll support your ambitions to publish internationally significant research in your area of interest, provide resources to enable you to attend conferences and to fund research activity.

Applicants would ideally demonstrate research excellence in the field of international and regional security, with research specifically on the Middle East and the Gulf region, with the ability to take a leading role in the development of the Department s research and teaching, and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities:

• Pursue research that is world-leading, and world-changing in terms of originality, significance and rigour, showing leadership international relations, regional politics and/or security within and/or beyond the academy which is commensurate with the Department s continuing emphasis on international excellence;
• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the Sheikh Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security and lead and enhance its established research agenda;
• Further enhance the Programme's position as an internationally recognised centre of excellence for research on international relations, regional politics and security;
• To lead the development of successful research project/fellowship proposals in pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement.
• Build on the Programme's established record of international academic conferences, symposia, workshops and other research and engagement activities;
• Build on the Programme's established publication portfolio, promote high-quality research publications and other outputs, and contribute to the dissemination and international visibility of its research;
• Deliver excellent teaching, offering lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels.
• Demonstrate leadership and innovation in the design and delivery of high quality learning environments and curricula.
• Enhance the quality of the research environment in the Department, providing leadership of national and international research groups and networks which is recognised at an international level. Engage in the mentoring of early career researchers;
• To attract and provide excellent supervision to research students, and contribute significantly to the development of PhD programmes. Enhance the Department s commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture.
• Engage in the mentoring of postgraduate students and early career researchers and contribute to developing the next generation of scholars working on international and regional security;
• Contribute to strengthening the School's engagement with policymakers, diplomats, practitioners and other relevant stakeholders in Kuwait, the Gulf region and internationally;
• Contribute significantly to the administrative functioning and collegial environment of the Department and wider University, demonstrating sustained excellence in leadership activities which support the functioning of the Department and wider University.
• To fully engage in, champion and enhance the values of the Department;
• Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of Department.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct.

At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Person Specification

Candidates must demonstrate research excellence in the field of international and regional security, with research specifically on the Middle East and the Gulf region, with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

Research

Candidates will demonstrate world-leading and world-changing research, and leadership in a research field within and / or beyond their institution(s), with research outputs consistently recognised as internationally excellent.

Essential Research Criteria

• Qualifications - a good first degree and a PhD in International Relations, Politics, Security Studies, Middle East Politics, or a related subject
• Outputs - evidence of research outputs which are consistently recognised as internationally excellent with some output being evaluated as world class. Candidates are asked to submit two published articles that represent their best work with their application (as outlined in the How to Apply section below).
• Research Expertise an internationally recognised research profile in international relations, regional politics and/or security, with expertise relevant to the Middle East and Gulf region. Candidates should demonstrate research expertise relevant to the core objectives of the Sheikh Nasser Al- Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme, including areas such as 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.
• Personal Research Plan - evidence of an ambitious 5-year personal research plan which supports and enhances the School's research strategy and contributes to the enhancement and future direction of the established research agenda of the Sheikh Nasser Al- Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme.
• Research Leadership - leadership of national and international research groups and networks, with an internationally recognised contribution to the development of research fields, as well as leadership of research groups and/or mentoring of early career researchers. Candidates may choose to include information about research group leadership, mentoring of research colleagues, invitations to and engagement with significant external events, engagement with international networks or projects, serving on advisory boards, review bodies or commissions, and external PhD examination.
• Candidates should also demonstrate the capacity to provide intellectual and strategic leadership for the Sheikh Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah Programme and to sustain, deepen and expand significant academic, policy and institutional relationships with Kuwait, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and relevant international partners.
• PhD Supervision - a significant contribution to the development of PhD programmes and / or groups, including successful recruitment and excellent supervision of PhD students and examination of research degrees.
• Research Impact demonstrable leadership of research that has significant impact beyond the Candidate s institution(s) including the capacity to engage effectively with relevant academic, policy, diplomatic and practitioner communities.
• Income Generation evidence of leadership of successful research projects and / or quality research grant proposals, and the capacity to expand externally facing research, training and engagement activities relevant to the Programme.

Desirable Research Criteria

The desirable research criteria for this post (for which candidates should provide evidence) are:

• Evidence of a significant contribution to the development of research that has a demonstrable impact beyond the Candidate s institution and the academic community.
• Advanced proficiency in one or more regional languages, ideally Arabic or Farsi.

Candidates may choose to include information about engagement with policy communities (including NGOs or campaigns), international organisations, commercial activity or other non-academic groups or bodies.

Education

Candidates will be able to evidence excellence in the development and delivery of teaching. They will demonstrate leadership, distinction and innovation in the design and delivery of high-quality learning environments and curricula, including curriculum development, that enables student to achieve their potential.

Essential Education Criteria

• Qualification - candidates must evidence substantial and sustained educational leadership demonstrated by:
• Evidence of at least one example of co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others in relationship to learning and teaching, or;
• Successful completion of the DELTA3 course ( Leadership in Learning and Teaching ) or the DELTA4 course ( Strategic Leadership in Learning and Teaching ), or;
• Achievement of Senior or Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (https://www.heacademy.auk/individuals/fellowship/fellow), which is the national body that champions teaching excellence.
• Quality - evidence of excellence in the development and delivery of high-quality and distinctive teaching, at least at a nationally competitive level. Evidence of training, educating and mentoring other teachers in the department and/or the University in relation to learning and teaching. Candidates may choose to provide MEQ scores and / or peer reviews of teaching.
• Innovation leadership and influence in in curriculum/new programme development and the development of innovative teaching and the design of learning environments/curricula that provide high quality teaching and student experience at an internationally competitive level including lectures, small group learning and/or using technology or other techniques to enhance learning and/or assessment.
• Strategic - demonstrating leadership and influence in the design and delivery of excellent teaching activities and the creation of learning environments that enable students to achieve their potential.

Services, Citizenship and Values

Candidates will demonstrate sustained excellence of leadership in the active engagement in administrative and citizenship requirements and to fostering a respectful environment, including the active contribution to the creation of a welcoming environment in which colleagues feel included and valued.

Essential Services, Citizenship and Values criteria

• Collegial contribution evidence of a significant contribution to the collegial work and environment of the Candidate s Department, Faculty, institution and / or discipline. Candidates may choose to evidence departmental or University roles, Faculty or University level committees or projects, mentoring activity, pastoral and academic support of students, engagement with widening participation, proactive support of the work of professional services colleagues, contributions to departmental programme management and/or strategic development and membership or engagement with external bodies.
• Leadership - evidence of sustained excellence in leadership activities that support the administrative functioning of the candidate s Department, Faculty or University and / or which support the development of their discipline. Candidates may choose to detail any leadership roles which they have undertaken, preferably in an academic context.
• Communication - candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries Professor Christopher Finlay, Head of Department: Christopher.j.finlay@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

How to Apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

• A CV
• A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
• Personal research plan (3-5 years), max 2 pages
• Two of your most significant pieces of already published written work. At least one of these should have been published since 1 January 2021. Where possible we request that you provide accessible web links to your publications, which the hiring Department will use to access your work. The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links. Please note we are unable to access publications behind a paywall. In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, publications should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system. Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb. Your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria;
• All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Referees

You should provide 3 academic referees they should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s). The majority should be from a University other than your own.

References will be requested for candidates who have been shortlisted and will be made available to the panel during the interview process.

As part of your application, you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought should you be invited to attend an interview. We will only request references where permission has been granted.

Next Steps

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long-listed candidates.

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.

The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff and students in the Department followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days towards the end of February / early March 2027. The ideal start date is the 1st of August 2027.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.

Applicant Guidance

For further guidance on your application please see HERE

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk If you have any issues logging in or creating an account, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk