Professor Abdullah Baabood

Professor Abdullah Baabood

Chair of the State of Qatar for Islamic Area Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Prof. Abdullah Baabood is an internationally recognized scholar in international relations and international political economy, with a particular focus on globalization, regionalism, and the economic, social, and political development of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and their external relations.

He currently holds the Chair of the State of Qatar for Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Over the course of his distinguished academic career, Prof. Baabood has taught at numerous leading universities and institutions across Europe, Asia, and the Gulf region. His academic appointments include visiting professorships at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar.

Prof. Baabood previously served as the Director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, and as Director of the Gulf Research Center at the University of Cambridge, UK. He was also a Research Associate at the HRH Prince Waleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge.

He was the Co-founder and Former Coordinator of the Cambridge Arab Media Project (CAMP), based at the Center of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (CMEIS) at Cambridge. His deep engagement with Gulf studies is further reflected in his roles in prominent think tanks and advisory boards:

  • Trustee, Gulf Research Center – Cambridge, University of Cambridge
  • Director, Gulf International Forum, Washington, D.C.
  • Board Member, Center for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, Kuwait University
  • Advisory Board Member, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum, Arab Center, Doha – Qatar
  • Board of Trustees, Muscat University
  • Board of Governance Member, Sohar University
  • Advisory Board Member, College of Economics & Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University

In addition to his teaching and administrative responsibilities, Prof. Baabood continues to publish widely and is a frequent speaker at international conferences, academic seminars, and media events. His commentary and analyses offer valuable insights into the evolving geopolitical and economic landscape of the Gulf region.