Michael J. Willis

Dr Michael J. Willis is the HM King Mohammed VI Fellow in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, and a member of St Antony’s College. His research focuses on the politics, modern history, and international relations of the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia). He has taught at St Antony’s College since 2004 and previously taught politics at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco from 1997–2004.

• Monographs: Algeria: Politics and Society from the Dark Decade to the Hirak (Hurst, 2022), Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2012), and The Islamist Challenge in Algeria: A Political History (Ithaca and New York University Press, 1997).
• Co-edited Work: Civil Resistance in the Arab Spring: Triumphs and Disasters (Oxford University Press, 2015).
• Research Leadership: Served twice as Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College (2011–2014, 2021–2022).

His work bridges political science and Middle Eastern studies, with a focus on democratization processes and Islamist movements. While the 15 most recent publications listed in this dataset pertain to synthetic chemistry and sulfur-based catalytic methods, these appear unrelated to his political science research. The discrepancy suggests a potential data mix-up between two individuals with the same name.

Academic Supervision: Has advised DPhil students including Yasmine Zarhloule, Ella Williams, and Kateryna Marina. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in his political science profile.