Simon Curtis

Simon Curtis is an Honorary Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies at the University of East Anglia (UEA), where he also serves as Director of Postgraduate Research. He is a member of the Politics & International Relations department and actively supervises PhD students. His external affiliations include Senior Fellow on Global Cities at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Senior Research Fellow at UCL's City Leadership Initiative, and Affiliated Professor in International Relations at the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals.

Education:

• PhD in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science
• MSc in Theory and History of International Relations, London School of Economics

His research lies at the intersection of international theory, global cities, and transnational governance. He investigates how urban centers influence world order, particularly through infrastructure, market civilisation, and post-globalist dynamics. His work bridges political theory, urban studies, and international political economy, emphasizing the evolving role of cities in global governance beyond traditional state-centric models.

His recent publications (2018–2021) reflect a strong focus on global cities as agents of change in international relations. Themes include urban foreign policy, post-pandemic governance futures, the legal status of cities, and the transformation of globalism. These works demonstrate a shift toward non-state actors in global politics and retheorize world order through urban lenses.

Scientific Awards:

• ECPR Hedley Bull Prize in International Relations (2018)
• Collaborative Book Prize, European Society of International Law (2022)
• Shortlisted, BISA Susan Strange Book Prize (2017)

Simon Curtis has been actively involved in advising and research leadership, currently directing postgraduate research at UEA. He has served as an external examiner for BA Politics at Birkbeck, University of London (2013–2016), and participates in major research networks and policy dialogues. He has received research recognition through multiple grants and institutional affiliations, contributing to both academic and policy-oriented discourse.

He is associated with several research initiatives, including the Critical Global Politics research group at UEA, the City Leadership Initiative at UCL, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. These networks support his interdisciplinary work on urban geopolitics, infrastructure, and global governance reform.