Supervision Request Email:

Supervising new research projects and the development of Ph.D. research is something I feel passionately about. As such, if you believe that you have a potential Ph.D. thesis, and want me to consider supervising it, then please do contact me on o.a.hassan@warwick.ac.uk with the heading "Ph.D. Supervision Application". You should, however, strongly consider how the thesis fits within my research interests and experience.

Within the email please outline how your research fits with my own. This is important as I receive a considerable number of Ph.D. supervision applications, and so look for the strongest fits with my own research interests. In addition please attach:

1) A Full CV (it must include the final grade of any awards, and/or marks received to date. Official university transcriptions of grades are particularly welcome).

2) A comprehensive research proposal (between 6-8 A4 pages)

3) The best substantive example of your previous written work

If I do have the capacity to take on new Ph.D. candidates, and I feel I have the interest and experience to supervise you, the next step will be to arrange a video-conference call on Skype/Facetime.

The Importance of the Research Proposal:

The MOST important element for me as a supervisor is the research proposal. This is not only because it allows me to see whether the project fits my interests, but because it allows me to see how thoroughly the research project has been designed. This Research Proposal should include:

1) A clear working title for your research project.

2) A clear statement about what you want to work on and why it is important, interesting, relevant and realistic.

3) A strong outline of what the main research objectives are and what problem you are trying to solve.

4) A literature review that outlines the specific research gap you are filling and the added value of the research.

5) An extensive outline of the proposed methodology and methods.

6) What do you believe the potential impact of the research could be, and who would be interested in the research?

7) Research Strategy, timetable and the obstacles the research may encounter.

8) Consideration of issues around research ethics that the project may face.

9) A Harvard-style bibliography (not included in the 6-8 pages).

Examples of Past and Present Ph.D. Supervision Titles:

- Between the hammer and the anvil: the trade unions and the 2011 Arab uprisings in Morocco and TunisiaLink opens in a new window.

- Iraqi women'Link opens in a new windows narratives of identity and security: challenging dominant knowledgeLink opens in a new window.

- Domestic politics and international ambitions: explaining China's maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, 2006-2016.Link opens in a new window

- A Discursive Institutional Analysis of Hamas’s Evolutionary Path from 1988 to 2017

- The Ideals of Track Two Peacebuilding in Cyprus: A Communities of Practice Perspective

- GCC sovereign wealth funds and their utility in foreign and security policy: comparative cases of Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar in periods of crisisLink opens in a new window [Fahad Al-Marri's Thesis won the Qatar Scientific Excellence Award in the doctoral category in 2023; presented below by His Royal Highness Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani the Emir of Qatar].