John Williams

Professor John Williams is a faculty member at Durham University’s School of Government and International Affairs, holding the academic rank of Professor in International Relations. His research spans three interconnected themes: the English School of international relations theory, Global/Decolonial IR, and the ethics of war and emerging technologies.

• Education: PhD from the University of Warwick (1992-96), focusing on legitimacy in international relations and the collapse of Yugoslavia.
• Career: Lecturer at Aberdeen (1996-2001), joined Durham in 2001, promoted to Senior Lecturer (2006) and Professor (2010).
• Administrative Roles: Head of School, Deputy Head of School, Director of Research, and member of university ethics and appeals committees.

Research Interests include the English School’s ethical pluralism, decentering Western IR perspectives through Global/Decolonial IR, and the ethics of drones, autonomous weapons, and changing warfare technologies. His publications emphasize normative theory, territorial ethics, and the intersection of space and moral justification.

Advising has involved supervising or co-supervising over 20 research degrees, with expertise in English School theory, Just War, and emerging security technologies. He has served as External Examiner at multiple institutions and on the Economic and Social Research Council’s peer review college.