Prof Dr Anna Geis

Anna Geis is Professor of Political Science, especially International Security and Conflict Studies, at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg (since 2016).

Research Interests

• theories of war; military interventions; democratic peace
• security governance
• issues of global order
• Citizen participation in German foreign and security politics
• recognition in international politics
• legitimacy within and beyond the nation-state
• transitional justice

Vita

• October 2021-September 2022: Fellowship of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg /Centre for Global Cooperation Research Duisburg; Research project: „20 Years of the ‘US War on Terror’ in Afghanistan. A Critial Review of Interventionist Practices and Justifications“
• May-June 2019: Visiting Researcher at the Centre for International and Defense Policy of Queen’s University in Kingston/Canada
• February-April 2019: Visiting Research Professor at the WZB Berlin Sociel Science Center, Research Department “Global Governance“
• September-October 2018: September-October 2018: Guest Researcher at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• 2012-2016: Professor of International Relations at the University of Magdeburg
• 2009-2012: Senior Researcher in the Cluster of Excellence ‘The Formation of Normative Orders‘ at Goethe University Frankfurt (working group ‘International Organizations’)
• 2012: ‘Habilitation’ at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Frankfurt
• Summer term 2011: Visiting Fellowship at the Hamburg Institute for Social Research
• Winter term 2010/11: Acting Professor of Political Science, especially ‘Empirical Theories of Politics’, at the Department of Political Science of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich
• Winter term 2008/09: Acting Professor of Political Science, especially ‘External Relations of Western European States’, at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Frankfurt
• Winter term 2007/08: Acting Professor of Political Science, especially ‘International Relations’, at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Frankfurt
• 2002-2009: Senior Researcher and Project Director at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), Co-director (with Harald Müller) of a comparative research project on ‘democratic wars’ and liberal interventionism (funded by the German Research Foundation)
• 2002: PhD at the Department of Political Science of the University of Hamburg with a thesis on the Frankfurt Airport mediation process
• 1999-2002: Research Associate at the Department of Political Science of the University of Hamburg
• Studies of Political Science, History and German Studies at the University of Darmstadt/Germany and the University of Warwick/UK

Board Memberships/Professional and Academic Services

• Since 2024: Member of the Scientific Board of the Centre of Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces
• 2024-2025: Study Dean of Political Science, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg
• 2022-2025 Permanent Expert in the Study Commission on lessons from Afghanistan for Germany’s comprehensive international engagement in the future. More information here (in German only).
• Since 2021: Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal “German Politics” (Taylor & Francis)
• Since 2021: Member of the Scientific Board of the Institute for Theology and Peace Hamburg
• 2020-2023: Deputy Chair Woman of the Foundation Council of the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) (2019-2023 member of the Council)
• Since 2020: Member of the Steering Group “Peace and Conflict Studies” of the Hamburg Behörde für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Gleichstellung (BWFG)
• 2020-2024: Elected member of the Review Board (Fachkollegium), Section Social Sciences, of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 2018-2023: Member of the Editorial Board of the German Social Science Journal ‘Leviathan’
• 2016-2023: Chair of the Academic Board of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH), Hamburg
• 2013-2018: Member of the Academic Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF)
• 2017-2021: Member of the Academic Board of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin
• 2018-2019: Study Dean of Political Science, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg
• 2012-2016: Director of the Department of Political Science of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Faculty of Humanities)
• 2012-2016: Programme Director of the M.A. Study Programme ‘Peace and Conflict Studies’ at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
• 2012-2015: Speaker of the Section ‘International Relations” of the German Political Science Association (DVPW)
• 2003-2006: Board Member of the Section ‘Political Theory and History of Ideas’ of the German Political Science Association (DVPW)