Hsinyen Lai

Dr Hsinyen Lai is an Associate Lecturer at the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, since January 2019. He serves as Second-Year Coordinator and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules on International Relations theory, Gulf Politics, Middle Eastern security, and Political Islam. His research focuses on international historical sociology, nationalism, Cold War history, and state formation in the Middle East and East Asia, particularly Arab nationalism in the Gulf and Taiwan's international engagement. He is Managing Editor of the Journal of Mediterranean Politics (2019–2024) and a member of the Foreign Policy Analysis Research Network at the University of Edinburgh's CeSeR. Lai holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh, with earlier degrees from National Cheng-Chi University and National Chung-Cheng University in Taiwan.

His research includes a funded book manuscript on Bahrain's Arab nationalism and a project on Chiang Kai-Shek's authoritarian alignment during the Arab Cold War. Collaborating with Dr Harry Yi-Jui Wu, he explores Cold War-era health diplomacy between Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. He has received grants from the National Science and Technology Council (Taiwan) and the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation.

• Education:
  • PhD in Politics, University of Edinburgh (2018)
  • MRes in Politics, University of Edinburgh (2013)
  • MA in Political Science (International Relations), National Chung-Cheng University (2010)
  • BA in Arabic, National Cheng-Chi University (2007)

Lai supervises PhD students focusing on historical sociology in Middle Eastern and East Asian contexts. His awards include the National Science and Technology Council TOP Grants and Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation funding. He also engages in editorial roles and peer-review activities for journals like Third World Quarterly and Security Dialogue.