Dr Daniel Neep
Biography
After obtaining a BA (Hons) in Arabic & French from St John’s College, Oxford University and studying Arabic at the Institut français du Proche Orient (IFPO) in Damascus, Syria, I went on to receive my Master’s degree in Near & Middle East Studies, funded by the ESRC, from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) in London. My AHRC-funded PhD thesis was completed under the supervision of Professor Charles Tripp in the Department of Politics & International Studies at SOAS in 2008 and involved 15 months of archival research in Paris, Nantes and Damascus. For part of that time I was a chercheur associé at IFPO-Damas. My thesis was awarded the BRISMES Leigh Douglas Memorial Award for the best PhD in MIddle East Studies at a British university. I have spent several years in Syria, variously studying Arabic, teaching English and carrying out field research, and have travelled widely throughout the region.
From 2002-2004 I stepped out of academic life and took up a position as Head of the Middle East & North Africa Programme at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where I focused on UK foreign policy and contemporary Middle East politics. My analysis of current affairs has appeared in publications including The Observer, The Scotsman, Syria Today, RUSI Newsbrief and RUSI Commentary. I have considerable media experience, having appeared as a regular guest on BBC World and News 24, BBC Newsnight, Sky TV, Al-Hayat/LBC TV, Abu Dhabi TV and the BBC World Service.
I joined the University of Exeter as a Lecturer in September 2008 and remain attached to RUSI as an Associate Fellow. From 2011 to 2013 I will be based in Damascus, on secondment to the Council for British Research in the Levant.
