Jens Heibach

Dr. Jens Heibach is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies since 2017. His work focuses on authoritarian political dynamics, Middle East foreign policies, and Sub-Saharan Africa engagement. He holds a PhD from Philipps-Universität Marburg (2016) and previously served at the German Embassy in Yemen (2008–2009).

Research Interests:

• Saudi Arabia's strategic outreach to Sub-Saharan Africa
• Opposition cooperation mechanisms in authoritarian regimes
• Political Islam's evolving role in regional governance
• Persian Gulf states' international relations

Key Contributions:

• Co-led DFG-funded project analyzing Middle Eastern powers' Africa policies (2022–2025)
• Contributed to EC Horizon 2020's MIDA project on digital-age Islam (2019–2023)
• Published widely on Gulf-Africa relations, authoritarian diplomacy, and Yemen's political landscape

Awards:

• 2017 DAVO Dissertation Award

Engagement:

• Advisor at Yemen Policy Center
• Regular contributor to Tagesspiegel, The Guardian, and academic conferences
• Teaching fellowships at Heidelberg University and Philipps-Universität Marburg