Dr Sanam Vakil

Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme

Headshot of Sanam Vakil

Biography

Dr Sanam Vakil is the director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. Her expertise spans Iranian and Gulf politics, regional security dynamics, and US foreign policy, with a particular focus on the evolving strategic landscape of the Middle East and its global connectivity.

At Chatham House, Sanam directs a diverse portfolio of research and policy initiatives, addressing critical issues such as Gulf Arab security and economic transitions, Iran’s regional ambitions, governance and political reform, women’s empowerment, and the intersection of climate and socio-economic challenges. 

She provides nuanced analysis of Western policy priorities – particularly those of the UK, US, and Europe – while also offering strategic insight into the growing influence of China and Russia across the region, and regularly engaging with government, corporate and research sectors.


In addition to her policy work, Sanam holds the James Anderson Professorial Lectureship in Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS Europe) in Bologna, Italy, where she has taught Middle East politics since 2008. 

She previously served on the faculty of SAIS Washington’s Middle East Studies Program. Sanam is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on other advisory boards and is regularly consulted by high ranking government officials in the US, Europe, UK, and Middle East.

Past experience

2019-23Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
2008 - presentProfessorial lecturer, Johns Hopkins University - SAIS Europe
2011-13Senior Research Associate, Management Systems International
2005-07Assistant Professor, Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University – SAIS Washington
2004-05Research assistant, Iran Project, Council on Foreign Relations

 

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