M. Talha Cicek

M. Talha Cicek serves as an Associate Professor in the School of History at University College Dublin, where he contributes to the academic community through teaching, research, and professional activities. His institutional affiliation with University College Dublin places him within one of Ireland's leading research-intensive universities.

His educational background includes a PhD from Sabanci University, followed by prestigious postdoctoral experiences including The British Academy Newton Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London and The Humboldt Experienced Research Fellowship at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn, Germany.

Professor Cicek's research focuses on the Modern Middle East, with particular emphasis on Ottoman history, World War I in the Middle East, and Arab tribal societies. His scholarly work examines complex historical processes including state formation, political engineering, and the dynamics between imperial centers and peripheral regions. He has made significant contributions to understanding Ottoman-Arab relations during critical historical transitions, particularly the late Ottoman period and early Turkish Republic era.

His extensive publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly productivity with a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated analyses of translocal tribal dynamics, imperial governance, and post-Ottoman political formations. His recent work shows a progression from examining specific historical events to analyzing broader structural patterns in Middle Eastern history, with growing attention to transnational and translocal phenomena that challenge conventional state-centered historical narratives.

Among his notable recognitions are The Incentive Award for pioneering research on modern Middle Eastern history, the Exceptional Young Scientist Award, and the High Achiever Young Academics Award. These honors reflect the significance and impact of his scholarly contributions to the field.

• The Incentive Award (2021) - For conducting pioneering research on the history of the modern Middle East
• Exceptional Young Scientist Award (2021)
• High Achiever Young Academics Award (2015-2018)

Professor Cicek actively supervises PhD students and has developed and taught numerous courses including Middle East State & Society, Rurality in Modern Middle East, Elites and Empire in the Ottoman Arab Lands, and Modernisation in the Middle East. His professional engagement extends to grant assessment for organizations including the Swiss National Science Foundation and service on editorial boards for several prominent journals in Middle Eastern studies. He maintains active membership in scholarly associations such as the Turkish Academy of Sciences (since 2023), Union Académic Internationale, British Society of Middle Eastern Studies, and Middle East Studies Association.

His multilingual capabilities in Turkish, Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, English, French, and German enable him to work with primary sources across multiple languages, enhancing the depth and authenticity of his historical research. This linguistic proficiency supports his analysis of diverse historical materials including Ottoman archives, Arabic memoirs, and European diplomatic correspondence.