Michael E. Smith

Professor Michael E. Smith is a Chair in International Relations at the School of Social Science, University of Aberdeen. Previously, he served as a Reader at the University of St Andrews and Associate Professor at Georgia State University. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California (Irvine) and an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

• Chair in International Relations, University of Aberdeen (2010–present)
• Reader in International Relations, University of St Andrews (prior to 2010)
• Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University (2004–05)

Research Interests
Smith's theoretical work focuses on international cooperation, conflict resolution, and global governance in challenging issue areas like security and technology. He combines international-level theories of institution-building with domestic-level state/societal politics to analyze collective action problems (free-riding, regulatory gaps, environmental harm mitigation) across advanced democracies, particularly the EU and US. His research on EU security policy and revolutionary technologies has led to major publications and grants.

Notable Scientific Contributions
Recipient of the European Research Council Grant (2008-13) for EU crisis management studies, Robert Schuman Fellowship (2018), and multiple awards for his articles on EU foreign policy. His book Europe's Foreign and Security Policy (Cambridge) is a standard reference in the field.

Advising & Grants
External PhD examiner for leading universities (Loughborough, Lancaster, European University Institute). Principal investigator for EU Horizon2020 EU-CIVCAP consortium (€1.7M) and ERC grant (€1M). Co-investigator on ESRC and EU Research Executive Agency projects.