Markus Thiel

Dr. Markus Thiel is Professor of Politics and International Relations and Director of the EU/Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at Florida International University. He holds a PhD from the University of Miami (2005) and researches the political sociology of the European Union, with particular focus on identity politics, human rights advocacy, and LGBTQ+ rights in international relations.

His extensive publications include monographs The Limits of Transnationalism (Palgrave, 2011), EU Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy (Penn Press, 2017), and The EU's International Promotion of LGBTI Rights (Routledge, 2021). He has edited multiple volumes addressing diversity, identity politics, and sexuality in international relations. His current research examines the EU's external human rights promotion and the politics of social in/exclusion within Europe.

He teaches courses on European Union Politics, Comparative European Politics, International Organizations, and Research Design. His doctoral supervision focuses on EU politics, international organizations, and political sociology. Recent research projects analyze EU public diplomacy strategies in the United States and the politicization of LGBTI rights norms in development partnerships with Global South countries.