Supervisors

Aloka Wanigasuriya, Assistant Professor, Department of Law buw@sam.sdu.dk

As a supervisor, I believe that the research project belongs to the student and therefore encourage them to take ownership for it. This means that the student decides how they wish to steer the project.

While I guide students as needed, I view my role as being that of a facilitator who can pitch in with specialized input. I encourage students to book regular supervision meetings to which they come prepared with questions about their research. These meetings can be held either online or in person. 

My predominant area of expertise is international criminal law and procedure. I am happy to offer supervision in the broad areas of:

• International Criminal Law
• Public International Law
• International Human Rights

Bugge Thorbjørn Daniel Associate Professor, Department of Law – btd@sam.sdu.dk

As a supervisor, I hold the view that supervisees are responsible for their own work and work ethics and that the role of the supervisor is to qualify that process. It is the role of the supervisor to ensure that this cooperation takes place in a constructive manner. I expect meetings with supervisees to be mainly focused on specific questions about their work. That said supervision may also consist of more general discussions about methodology and approaches. I have no particular preferences in terms of approaches to legal issues: I will work with you to define your puzzle, help to identify the structural consequences hereof and develop an appropriate strategy to deal with your research questions.

I am happy to offer supervision in the broad areas of:
Legality of use of force
Issues relating to responsibility for breaches of international law
Legal aspects of the European Foreign and Security Policy
International human rights
Law of international organizations

Graham Butler - Professor of Law, Department of Law - grbu@sam.sdu.dk

I offer supervision from a legal perspectives in the many fields of law which I have a particular interest. These include, inter alia,

• European Union law (EU constitutional law, EU internal market law, EU economic law, EU security law, EU external relations law, EU state aid law, EU fundamental rights, EU procedural law, EU institutional law, EU administrative law, EU banking and financial services law, EU intellectual property law, EU agricultural and fisheries law, EU restrictive measures (sanctions) law, the Court of Justice of the European Union, etc.).
• International law (Nordic cooperation, the European Economic Area, micro-states, international civil service law, international administrative tribunals, privileges and immunities, etc.)
• General questions of law (executive and legislative power, judicial power, the rule of law, judicial independence, human rights, etc.).

Jingjing Wu - Postdoc, Department of Law - jwu@sam.sdu.dk

 

As a supervisor, I try to strike a balance between a structural method and an explorative approach. I expect the students to take the initiative to explore relevant fields, identify interesting topics, and steer the general direction of the thesis, while I assist and facilitate the thesis to be finished in a timely manner. I expect the students to treat their data, theories, and arguments with academic rigor and integrity. My supervision mostly focuses on the logical construction of the thesis, soundness of theories, and reliability of data.

Broadly, I am interested in supervising theses on human rights or environment related issues, as well as legal philosophy. The topics listed below are the ones that I have supervised/am interested in supervising. These examples are not to be exhaustive. Please feel free to send me your ideas of interests and we can discuss if I am a suitable supervisor for your topic. 

 

• International human rights law (e.g., right to life, freedom of religion, etc.)
• International environmental law (e.g., Paris Agreement, climate refugees, etc.) 
• Rights of Nature and ecocide
• Indigenous Peoples’ rights (e.g., traditional knowledge, relationship between Indigenous and settlers’ legal orders, right to consent/consultation, etc.)
• Alternative legal theories and their implication in the current world legal order (e.g., feminist and gender theories, critical legal theories, third-world legal studies, etc.)

Kristina Siig - Professor MSO, Department of Law - kms@sam.sdu.dk

 

As a supervisor, I see myself as a sparring partner.

It is the student’s work and thus the student’s responsibility to make sure that that work is done according to the requirements set, but it is my job as a supervisor to make sure that the requirements are met to the best of the student’s ability.

 

Therefore, each supervision is different. Some students require mainly discussions about content. For others,  the research into the different sources or making sure that the work progresses may be the focus area. We will define the main areas of focus in the beginning of the supervision period and plan the supervision process accordingly.

 

I offer supervision on the topics within the Law of the Sea and maritime issues, including maritime security. I also offer supervision in the areas where the private actors, normally in the form of business entities, are the de facto obligees or rights holders in an international law context.

Martin Mennecke – Associate Professor, Department of Law – marme@sam.sdu.dk

I am happy to offer supervision in the field of international law and particularly in regard to the following areas and topics:

the Arctic and international law
Israel, Palestine and international law
the African Union and international law
non-state actors and international law (multinational companies etc.)
International Criminal Court (and Security Council, and the US, and Africa, and Palestine etc.)
crime of aggression and the ICC 
transitional justice (peace v. justice, international v. national, country cases etc.)
Commissions of Inquiry and international criminal law
dispute settlement and international law (International Court of Justice etc.)
humanitarian intervention
responsibility to protect (R2P) and atrocity prevention
use of force (cyber, self defence, non state actors etc.)
United Nations (Security Council, right to veto, Human Rights Council etc.)
UN peacekeeping (intervention brigade, protection of civilians etc.)
Feel free to contact me if you want to bounce ideas and see whether we could work together.

Sten Schaumburg-Müller- Professor, Department of Law - stsm@sam.sdu.dk

I offer supervision from legal, legal philosophical and interdisciplinary perspectives.

My areas of interests are i.a.:

Human rights, including universalism/relativism (and global and regional covenants), human rights in international relations; specific human rights such as freedom of speech, discrimination, vote systems, freedom of religion, and protection of property.
Legal pluralism
Freedom of information, privacy, and data protection
Concepts in international law
History of International law, especially the background of European
As a point of departure, I expect the initiatives to come from you, and I am open and flexible to discuss ad advise any time during the process where it is most needed.

Ulrike Fleth-Barten – Associate Professor, Department of Law - ulb@sam.sdu.dk

The most important thing in the supervision context is for me that both student and supervisor take the project seriously. This means foremost keeping to deadlines and allocating the time necessary to work constructively. It also means we use the work plan actively as a tool to set up the framework and match our expectations. Meetings only take place when specific issues are offered by the student before. The project remains the student’s responsibility.

I am happy to offer supervision on the following topics:

International human rights
Regional human rights protection
Challenges of (and in) the UN regime, especially the human rights regime
Self-determination issues
Protection of minorities
Minority rights
Issues of fairness and legitimacy in international law

Anne Ingemann Johansen, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Management aij@sam.sdu.dk

Writing a master’s thesis provides you with a unique opportunity to delve into a topic or theme that you are passionate about, and in many cases, it can also come to shape your early career path. As a supervisor, I will help you brainstorm about what could be an interesting angle to the topic you are passionate about, guide you in delimiting the research question, and help you make informed choices throughout the project. I will push you to perform your best, and cheer on you on the way. 

My main research interests are: 

• European Union
• External Border Control
• Frontex
• EU Migration Policy
• EU Asylum Policy
• EU Security and Defense Policy
• National Security Policymaking
• Interplay between politicians, civil servants, and academics in national security

Chiara de Franco (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Management) cdf@sam.sdu.dk

As a supervisor I will help you stoke your curiosity and translate it into an academically sound project. I will support you in the not-so-easy task of developing your research and writing skills and I will guide you in the hard task of identifying the puzzle of your research and the key research question. I will never impose my ideas or preferences. Instead, I will seek to empower you so that you can shape your own project with confidence and independence. I take giving feedback seriously, which means that I will read (once) everything your write and provide oral or written comments. This also means that I expect you to be fully committed to the process, stick to deadlines, and take the initiative of sharing drafts, asking questions and request meetings: I will not chase you. In other words, while I will be there to help as much as I can I expect you to take responsibility for your own work.

I am currently the leader of an international research project on how the EU, the AU and the UN practice protection of civilians in Mali, CAR, and Somalia (www.protexproject.eu). As part of the project, I seek to supervise dissertations on the following broad topics:

The human protection regime
Inter-organisational relations (particularly AU-EU and UN-EU relations)
International Practice Theory
Practices of human protection - both armed and unarmed
Protection of Civilians (POC)
Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
Human Rights
Mass Atrocities Prevention
Human Security
EU integrated approach to security
Common  Security and Defence (CSDP) - both civilian and military missions
African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA)
UN Peacekeeping
Liberal Peacebuilding
Gender in protection practices

I would also be happy to offer supervision on other areas that I am also researching now or have researched previously:
Conflict Early Warning
Conflict Prevention
Strategic Foresight Analysis
Religion in IR - particularly Papal diplomacy
Language in IR - particularly narratives in international practices
(Old and New) Media’s role in warfare

Hendrik Huelss – Assistant Professor – Department of Political Science and Public Administration

As a supervisor, I am keen on supporting students in developing their research skills, knowledge, and independence in the process of writing a thesis. I am always happy to discuss ideas, give feedback and advice during the different stages of writing a thesis but it is vital for the thesis' success that students develop their projects as independent as possible. Ideally, supervision meetings will take place more often in the initial phase while there will be less need for advice later in the process. Overall, my role as a supervisor is to provide guidance, advice, and feedback and to point to different options, while the direction of the thesis is decided by students. My research approach is post-positivist, qualitative, interpretivist. I am therefore interested in understanding rather than explaining and in processes rather than causality. 
 
The following broad topics are particularly within my supervision area:

• Autonomous weapons systems
• European Union, especially the EU as an international actor
• Foucault and IR (governmentality, biopolitics)
• International Relations theory (constructivism, poststructuralism, Critical Theory)
• Norms in international relations   
• Technology and politics

Ingvild Bode – Associate Professor – Department of Political Science and Public Administration

As a supervisor, I see my task as providing you with constructive guidance throughout all stages of the research and writing process of your MA thesis. Guidance means that I offer suggestions around individual aspects of your research (e.g. finding and narrowing down your research question, theoretical framework, methodology), as well as around planning your project (e.g. design, timeline). This will happen through regular meetings (which we arrange based on your own initiative) where we discuss specific questions as well as written material. The goal is to successfully steer you through what is probably your first independent research project – and, in particular, for you to remain motivated by finding an answer to your research question throughout. As this is your research project, I expect you to make your own research choices and decisions. In terms of theory, I work from a critical constructivist perspective and use interpretive (post-positivist) methods. 

I am happy to offer supervision on the following areas and topics:

• International norms and norm research 
• Artificial Intelligence and warfare 
• The work of the United Nations (in particular questions of international peace and security and humanitarianism)
• Decision-making at the UN Security Council
• United Nations peacekeeping (e.g. protection of civilians, use of force)
• Individual agency in international relations
• International Relations theory (in particular constructivism, practice theories, feminist IR)
• US foreign policy (in particular use of force policy)

Kira Vrist Rønn – Associate Professor, Department of Political Science

Writing a master’s thesis is a creative journey with ups and downs. As your supervisor, my main tasks are to help you: 1) delimit your topic; 2) identify an appropriate analytical framework, 3) and to make sure, if needed, that the different components of the thesis form a coherent whole. Naturally, I aim to encourage and support you during the writing process. I am happy to provide written comments on your work. In my view, it is valuable to see how the things you do and learn at university can bring value to different practices and, accordingly, I encourage that you analyze real-life cases and dilemmas in your thesis.

I have experience with supervising a variety of topics. However, my main interests are:

Intelligence services
Police services / policing
Surveillance 
Ethical dilemmas connected to new security technologies
Expansion of intelligence logics into new domains

Louise Tumchewics – Postdoc fellow – Department of Political Science and Public Management – ltu@sam.sdu.dk  

As a supervisor, I help guide and facilitate student’s research projects, while the student takes responsibility for the design and execution of the research project. I am happy to discuss ideas, provide advice, and highlight relevant literature.

I encourage students to book regular in-person supervision meetings to which they come prepared with questions about their research, or written work for us to review and discuss together.

I am happy to offer supervision on topics related to:

• Economic security and economic statecraft
• Military technologies & capabilities
• Urban operations
  

Vincent Keating – Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Management – keating@sam.sdu.dk

My goal as a supervisor is to empower my supervisees to conduct excellent research on subjects in which they have a personal interest.  I act as a minor partner in the collaboration process, suggesting multiple avenues of potential research and literature, but ultimately ensure that the students drive the project forward.  I do specialize in certain areas, but have successfully supervised master’s dissertations on a wide range of topics and frequently enjoy considering issues outside of my research specialties. 

I am happy to offer supervision in the broad areas of:
Human Rights
Trust and Trust-Building
International Non-Governmental Organizations
International Legitimacy
Social Constructivism and International Norms
The English School of International Relations
International Security and Securitization Theory
US Foreign Policy
Security Communities
Nationalism and Identity
Feminism and Gender