Dr Tunc Aybak

Research activities

  My research focuses on foreign policy analysis, geopolitical shifts and risks particularly in the areas of the Black Sea Region, South East Europe and Eurasia. I mainly carry out research in and publish on these geographies.

  I have supervised numerous Master and PhD dissertations. I am currently the Director of Studies supervising four PhD students in the field of Chinese-Russian Relations, the Geopolitics of South China Sea, Russian, Turkish and British Educational Policies in Kyrgyzstan and the Legal and Political Status of the Straits in the Black Sea Region among others. I welcome PhD proposals in similar subject areas related to my research and scholarly interests.

    I have made numerous invited contributions to governmental agencies, regional organizations, parliamentary discussions and international media networks including, among others, BBC, TRT, British, American, Australian, Greek, Brazilian, Russia media and given lectures and many papers in the UK and overseas academic institutions and think tanks.

    I have also been an independent reviewer and referee for the following publishers: Journal of South East European and Near Eastern Studies, Oxford University Press; Global Fault lines Journal, Pluto Press; Journal of Europe and Asia Studies; Ashgate, Black Sea Studies Series; Routledge, Cold War Series; Sage, Monograph Research Methods on International Relations; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Current Teaching

I am a committed internationalist enriched and driven by the cultural, political, and social diversity of my students. I teach global politics, diplomatic statecraft and intelligence, foreign policy analysis, and geopolitical discourse analysis from critical geopolitical perspectives. 

In my teaching practice, I aim to cultivate a deep and inclusive understanding of world cultures and regions with a view to equipping my students with 21^st-century knowledge and critical skills to make sense of world affairs and to build my students' competence, confidence, and resilience in the face of 21^st-century geopolitical and professional challenges. 

My commitment to teaching and learning has been acknowledged by my students, as I received a student-led teacher appreciation award for innovative teaching. I have also been recognised for my engagement with communities in politics and education at the Turkish, Kurdish, and Turkish Cypriot Community Achievement Awards, hosted by the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) in London.