Prof. Guy Ben Porat

Guy Ben-Porat graduated from Johns Hopkins University (Political Science) in 2001 and joined Ben-Gurion University in 2002, first at the Department of Public Policy and Administration and since 2017 at the Department of Politics and Government. His first book Global Liberalism, Local Populism: peace and Conflict in Israel/Palestine and Northern Ireland (Syracuse University Press, 2006) engages with the dynamics of the conflicts in the two regions and the impact of economic changes on them. The book is the winner of the Czempiel Prize, Frankfurt Peace Research Institute, (2008). His second book, Between State and Synagogue: The Secularization of Modern Israel, (Cambridge University Press, 2013) examines questions of religion and state in Israel. The book is the Winner of the Shapiro Best Book Award from, the Israel Studies Association (2014), and the Israeli Political Science Association Best Book Award (2014). His latest book, Policing Citizens, Minority Policy in Israel (Cambridge University Press, 2019) engages with questions of policing particularly with relations of police forces and minorities. Comparing perceptions, experiences, and expectations of different minorities provides for an understanding of citizenship and minorities. In addition, he edited and co-wrote several books and published more than 50 articles. He teaches courses on International Relations, globalization, religion and politics and on the policing in divided states.

Dr. Hila Zahavi

Hila Zahavi is the director of the Simone Veil Centre for Contemporary European Studies and the elected Secretary General of the Israeli Association for International Studies. Her research focuses on Israel-EU relations, diplomacy, and higher education policies. She teaches various European Studies modules at the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Open University of Israel.

Asaf Porat

Asaf Porat is an ESR at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on the intersection of diplomacy and sports, examining how Mega-sports events contribute to soft power acquisition. He is a Project Manager at the Simone Veil Research Centre for Contemporary European Politics and Society at Ben-Gurion University. Previously, he worked in the International Affairs Division at Israel's Ministry of Energy. His research interests include EU-Israel relations, energy and climate diplomacy, and European and Israeli energy policies.

Prof. Sharon Pardo

Prof. Sharon Pardo (Ph.D., Ghent University, Faculty of Political and Social Studies) is a Full Professor and a Jean Monnet Chair ad personam in European Studies in the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Pardo was the Chairperson of The Simone Veil Research Centre for Contemporary European Studies – The National Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at BGU. He is the co-editor of Europe and the World book series by Lexington Books. Prof. Pardo served as the Chairperson of the Department of Politics and Government at BGU between the years 2016-2018, and served as the President of The Israeli Association of International Studies (IAIS), as a Senior Adjunct Fellow at the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE), University of Canterbury, New Zealand, a Member of the Academic Council of the European Association of Israel Studies (EAIS), a Member of the Board of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), and a Member of the Israel Bar Association. His research interests focus on the legal and political dimensions of European Union foreign and security policy. Prof. Pardo also has a significant interest in the development of the Euro-Mediterranean region, in Israeli-European Union relations and in international relations and big data. He has published widely on these issues. Prof. Pardo teaches modules on the European integration process, diplomacy, and public international law.