After a worldwide search, we are pleased to announce the first holder of the MBI Al Jaber Chair of Middle Eastern Studies.

Robert Springborg, a political scientist who has done a great deal of work on democratization and globalization, we recruited from his position as Director of the American Research Centre in Cairo.

Professor Springborg has established a strong reputation for consultancy research projects and has worked for the US administration, the World Bank and the European Union. He is joined in London by his wife, Anne-Marie, who is an Economist by training and more recently a judge/jurist.

In addition to holding the MBI Al Jaber Chair, Professor Springborg is also the first Director of the new London Middle East Institute.