Maria Fanis

Maria Fanis is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the College of Arts and Sciences, Ohio University, where she also serves as the Undergraduate Director. Her academic work bridges political theory, international security, and comparative foreign policy, with a strong interdisciplinary foundation.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2001), an M.A. in European and International Studies from the University of Reading, UK, and a B.A. in Political Science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.

Dr. Fanis's research centers on critical international relations theory, focusing on how national identity, morality, and everyday practices shape international security and foreign policy. Her interests span U.S. and British foreign policies, humanitarian wars, regime stability in Jordan, and language and religion in the Middle East. She integrates insights from cultural studies, gender studies, labor history, and social theory to examine the ethical dimensions of global politics.

Her research has been supported by leading institutions including the Rothermere American Institute (Oxford), the John M. Olin Institute (Harvard), the Mershon Center (Ohio State), Peace Studies Center (Cornell), Institute for Social Research (Michigan), and the Greek Institute for International and Strategic Studies. She has held visiting fellowships at Oxford and was a 2014 Fulbright Scholar in Vienna.

• Fulbright Scholar at the Diplomatic Academy, Institute for International Studies, Vienna, Austria (2014)
• Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University
• Visiting Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University

Dr. Fanis has secured grants from multiple prestigious research centers across the U.S. and Europe. She has advised academic programs as Undergraduate Director and contributed significantly to curriculum development in international studies. Although no formal advisees are listed, her leadership role suggests active mentoring. Her 2011 book, Secular Morality and International Security, exemplifies her innovative approach to linking domestic ethics with international threat perception.

She is affiliated with the International Studies and War and Peace Studies programs at Ohio University, contributing to interdisciplinary teaching and research initiatives.