Helen Drake

Professor Helen Drake serves as Director of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) and Professor of French and European Studies at Loughborough University, where she has held academic positions since 1996. Relocating to the London campus in 2017, she established IDIA (formerly IDIG) to synergize academic scholarship with entrepreneurial opportunities in a global policy hub.

Her academic foundation includes:

• First-class BSc Honours in Linguistics (French and German) and International Relations from the University of Surrey
• MSc in European Management from Cranfield School of Management
• PhD in Political Science from Aston University, completed part-time while serving as Lecturer

Drake's research critically engages with European Integration, notably through her European Commission-funded Jean Monnet Chair (2013-2016), and explores Political Science through the lens of political leadership—as demonstrated in her doctoral work on Jacques Delors. Her expertise extends to International Relations, Diplomacy, and French Studies, reflected in IDIA's mission and her recognition by the French government.

Her accolades feature:

• Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2010) for services to French culture and language
• University of Kent’s Innovation in Academia (Arts and Culture) prize (2017)

She leveraged her Jean Monnet Chair for research, teaching, and public engagement while chairing UACES (2012-2018), guiding the UK's premier European studies association through Brexit. As IDIA's founding director, she cultivates interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and global policy institutions to address contemporary diplomatic challenges.