David Mickler

Dr David Mickler is a Senior Lecturer in Foreign Policy & International Relations in the discipline of Political Science & International Relations, based in the School of Social Sciences. He is also the School's Postgraduate Coursework Programs Coordinator and the Program Coordinator for Postgraduate International Relations. David is also Director of the UWA Africa Research & Engagement Centre (AfREC).

Previously, David was Chair of the Political Science and International Relations discipline at UWA (2015-16); Co-Editor of the Australasian Review of African Studies (ARAS) (2015-16), Convenor of the 39th Annual Conference of the African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) (2016), Founding Coordinator of the UWA Africa Research Cluster (2015-18) and Founding Co-Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network Global Africa Group (2015-18). Prior to joining UWA, David was a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Melbourne (2010-14) and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (2013). He was also a Visiting Researcher with the African Union Commission in Ethiopia and South Africa in 2017.

• Director, UWA Africa Research & Engagement Centre (AfREC)
• Program Coordinator, Postgraduate International Relations
• Program Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Fieldwork Practice
• Steering Committee Member, Worldwide Universities Network Global Africa Group (WUN GAG)

Postgraduate supervision areas:

• Africa’s international relations
• Security, conflict, politics, governance in Africa
• Regionalism and regional organisations in Africa (particularly the African Union)
• Australia-Africa relations
• Some aspects of wider international security studies

• Visiting Researcher, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission, Ethiopia, 2017.
• Visiting Scholar, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 2013.
• Lecturer in International Relations, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, 2010-14.

Through the UWA Africa Research & Engagmenet Centre (AfREC) I work with a range of stakeholders, including from state and federal government, industry, and the NGO and community sectors on a number of research and engagement projects.

Unit Coordination 2014-19 at UWA (from):

• POLS1102 The Contemporary International System (UG Level 1)
• POLS2214 Strategy, Diplomacy and Conflict (UG Level 2)
• POLS3334 The International Politics of Africa (UG Level 3)
• POLS5671 Peace and Security in Africa (MIR, MID)
• POLS5641 International Security (MIR)
• POLS5682 Responding to International Crises (MIR)
• SOCS5105 International Collaborative Study Experience (Jakarta/Pretoria, MIR, MAS)

David’s research sits at the intersection of International Relations and African Studies. His research agenda has two main strands. The first examines the regional politics of security and governance in Africa, with a focus on the African Union. He is particularly interested in the role of African regional organisations in managing conflict and mitigating human insecurity on the continent. The second strand of his research explores the various dimensions of contemporary Australia-Africa engagement, particularly in terms of diplomatic relations, education and research collaboration, and people-to-people links. His current research projects and publications under development include:

• D. Mickler and G. Mukundi, The African Governance Architecture: Principles, Platforms and Politics (under contract, Routledge Global Institutions series, 2020)
• M. Ramutsindela and D. Mickler (eds.), Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (Springer Sustainable Development Goals series, forthcoming July 2019)
• D. Mickler and N. Pijovic, "'There are no votes in Africa!' Australia, Africa and the UN Security Council", Australian Journal of Politics and History (forthcoming 2019)
• Project on 'Remaking the Regional', with K. Gerard, M. Wood, T. Chodor and K. Sturman, including paper D. Mickler and K. Sturman, “Stakeholder Engagement and Legitimacy in the African Governance Architecture”
• Project (with T. Jakwa, F. Fozdar, H. Gebre-selassie and N. Omokaro) on the relationship between the African diaspora in Australia and Australian foreign policy towards Africa
• Associate Investigator on 2018 WUN Research Development Fund grant project (PI: Ana Juncos, Bristol) on 'Resilient peace: Exploring resilient peacebuilding actors, cultures and policy transfer in West Africa'