Our visiting scholars are part of our vibrant research community
Current Visiting Scholars
Dr Mehmet Erman Erol
(Email: mee38@cam.ac.uk)
Mehmet Erman Erol is a political economist with a research focus on the (international) political economy of Turkey and the MENA region. He received an MA in IPE (2011) and a PhD in Politics (2016), both from the University of York, UK.
His PhD thesis was entitled State, Crisis, Class: The Politics of Economic Restructuring in Turkey in the 2000s. During his PhD study, he worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and contributed to the teaching of the International Politics module. More recently, he has worked as a Lecturer in Politics at Ordu University, Turkey, from 2016 to 2019.
During this post, he taught International Political Economy, Introduction to Politics, International Organizations, Turkish & MENA Political Economy. He has been published in the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Review of Radical Political Economics, and Political Studies Review, with op-eds in SPERI, LSE Middle East Centre, Research Turkey and Socialist Project.
His current research is on the rising significance of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in the global political economy; with a particular focus on Turkey's recently established SWF.
Verity Harding
Verity Harding is Head of DeepMind’s Policy and Partnerships team, a research and engagement unit established to explore the real-world impacts of artificial intelligence so that it works for the benefit of all. She is a member of the OECD’s Network of Experts on AI and Treasurer of the Partnership on AI.
Prior to this Verity was Head of Security Policy for Google in Europe, and previously a member of HM Government as a Special Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg.
She holds a First Class degree in Modern History from Pembroke College, Oxford University, and was a Michael Von Clemm Fellow at Harvard University. In her spare time, Verity is a Director of the Friends of the Royal Academy of Arts and Chair of the Board for Girls Who Code UK.
Gad Yishayahu
Gad is completing his PhD in the study of crises in the Department of International Politics at the University of London (City). His dissertation examines contemporary Foreign Policy Crises and their implications on the discipline of crisis management.
Prior to commencing his PhD studies, he worked in the field of crisis management in the Office of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Deloitte Economic Consulting Services (1986) Ltd, and as a senior associate in a commercial law firm in Tel-Aviv.
While at POLIS he will be researching contemporary Mediterranean foreign policy crises, the implications of the new alliances between Israel and the Arab world, and the subsequent effects these may have on different players and interests in the region.
Become a Visiting Scholars at the Department of POLIS
The Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) Visitors Programme welcomes a small number of scholars each year. The Programme is aimed at scholars in established posts in other academic institutions.
Find out how to apply>>
Former Visiting Scholars
A list of former visiting scholars is available here>>