Our research is driven by the centre’s commitment to in-region knowledge and is designed to foster both an informed understanding of a complex region and support positive transformative change.

Our approach to research at the centre is very simple – it is informed and inspired by close engagement with the region and underpinned by the multi-lingual knowledge of our staff who undertake and support pioneering fieldwork across the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa.

The immense collective knowledge of the centre’s research staff positions CAIS as Australia’s premier location for language-orientated areas studies in the Middle East and Central Asia.

The centre is widely regarded as a key source of trusted information on the Middle East and Central Asia. Our academic staff and research students are committed to innovative inter-disciplinary research and meaningful engagement with the aim of addressing current and future policy challenges.

The centre has six key Strategic Research Areas:

1. Authoritarianism in the Middle East and Central Asia
2. Comparative politics, security and international relations in the Middle East and Central Asia
3. Social cohesion, ethnonationalism and sectarianism in the Middle East and Central Asia
4. Multiculturalism in Australia among the Muslim diaspora and wider community
5. Languages, Literature, Cultures and ideologies of the Middle East and Central Asia
6. The Economics and Political Economy of the Middle East

Students interested in postgraduate studies and higher degree research students are encouraged to contact the Centre to discuss their potential future research and its alignment with these key Strategic Research Areas. A list of current academic staff is available here.