William Vlcek

Dr William Vlcek is a Senior Lecturer in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. His research focuses on global political economy, particularly examining the intersections of finance, security, and sovereignty. He has held visiting appointments, including as Visiting Professor at PUC Minas in Brazil (2017). He earned his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics (2006) and previously taught at the University of London's Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

His research explores offshore finance, international taxation, money laundering, terrorist finance, and sovereign debt, applying poststructuralist theories (Foucault, Deleuze) to analyze power dynamics in global finance. He co-authored Offshore Finance and Global Governance (2017) and has published in journals like Critical Studies on Security and Finance and Society.

Current research projects include the role of the US dollar in global governance and the impact of casinos on economic development. He serves as External Examiner for Dundee University’s Politics and International Relations MA program (2020–2024).