Hana Attia

Hana Attia is a Junior Professor for Security Policy and Peace at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), where she works at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies. She has previously held research positions at the University of Konstanz, the University of Salzburg, and the American University in Washington DC. Her academic work bridges the fields of international relations, security policy, and political economy, with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, Graduate School of Decision Sciences, University of Konstanz and GIGA Doctoral Programme (2018–2025)
• MA and BA in Political Science, University of Mannheim, with focus on International Relations and Quantitative Methods (2012–2017)
• Visiting Student, Johns Hopkins University and SAIS, Washington DC (2015–2016)

Her research centers on economic statecraft, particularly the use and termination of international sanctions. She investigates how domestic political factors—such as presidential approval and congressional oversight—affect the initiation and termination of U.S. sanctions. Her work integrates quantitative analysis with case studies and policy-relevant insights. She also explores broader themes of foreign policy, peace and security, and the strategic use of coercion by states and international organizations.

Her recent publications in journals like Foreign Policy Analysis and International Studies Quarterly reveal trends in sanctions policy, emphasizing the political dynamics behind their use and removal. She has developed datasets and visualizations on sanctions termination, contributing to both academic and policy debates.

Scientific Awards:

• Leibniz Dissertation Award 2024 for her work on international sanctions
• Aquila Ascendens Young Researcher Award for Security Policy (2023)

Dr. Attia has been actively involved in teaching, including courses on Economic Statecraft and Applied Quantitative Methods at Leuphana University and the University of Salzburg. She has advised on research projects funded by the DFG and the Foreign Office of Germany, and she frequently contributes to public discourse through media interviews and expert lectures. While there is no indication of formal PhD or Master’s student advising yet, she is engaged in mentoring through her research teams and doctoral programs.

She is affiliated with the GIGA research teams on interventions and security, and she contributes to interdisciplinary projects on sanctions and global security challenges. Her future work continues to focus on understanding how external shocks—such as pandemics and economic crises—affect sanctions policy, with implications for crisis management and international cooperation.