David Maher

Dr David Maher serves as a Reader in International Relations at the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technologies, University of Salford, where he has conducted research since joining the institution in 2014. His scholarly work critically examines the complex relationship between political violence and economic development across multiple global conflict zones.

His academic credentials include:

• BSocSc (Hons) from the University of Manchester
• MA from King's College London
• PhD from the University of Kent

Maher's research program centers on International Relations, Conflict and Security and Development, Political Violence, International Political Economy, International Security, and Globalisation. He challenges conventional wisdom about conflict's economic impacts through empirical studies demonstrating how civil wars may paradoxically attract foreign investment or create business opportunities for certain actors. His methodological approach frequently incorporates historical materialist analysis to uncover underlying economic structures in violent political contexts.

Analysis of his 12 publications (2011-2024) reveals consistent thematic focus on conflict economies across Colombia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Syria. Key trends include examining foreign direct investment flows during civil wars, paramilitary violence's economic consequences, and energy geopolitics in interventions like Russia's Syria campaign. His work consistently questions simplistic narratives about violence's economic effects while highlighting regionally specific dynamics.

No scientific awards are documented in the available information.

Details regarding student supervision, grant funding, or advisory roles remain unspecified in the source materials.

Dr Maher actively contributes to the Politics & Contemporary History Research Centre at Salford, which provides an institutional framework for his investigations into the political economy of contemporary conflicts and historical processes.