Burak Giray, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher · TUM
I study IOs, civil war dynamics, and UN peacekeeping, with a focus on how interventions shape conflict outcomes, mandate completions, and local legitimacy.
Connect with Me
About
Hi! I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy (Hochschule für Politik) at the Technical University of Munich.
My research examines the effectiveness of international organizations in conflict settings, with a particular focus on UN peacekeeping. I use quantitative and experimental methods to study how political incentives, local legitimacy, and troop-contributing country behavior shape peacekeeping outcomes.
Previously, as a DAAD PRIME Fellow (2023–2024), I held positions at the Hertie School and Uppsala University. During this period, I developed an original dataset tracking field-level peacekeeping activities across missions using the social media communications of UN peacekeeping operations. This dataset now enables me to conduct more fine-grained analyses of how mandates are implemented and how peacekeepers influence conflict dynamics and local support.
I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. My dissertation, UN Peacekeeping Operations: Conflicting Interests and Effectiveness, examines how troop-contributing countries’ motivations shape mission outcomes and can undermine impartiality and civilian protection.
Below are the areas where I have expertise and, most importantly, genuinely enjoy doing research:
Research Areas
International Organizations and Global Governance
Political behavior, institutional design, and effectiveness of international organizations, with a focus on UN-based institutions. Emphasis on cooperation problems, mandate implementation, and the role of legitimacy in shaping support for multilateral governance.
Civil War and Post-Conflict Dynamics
Violence, intervention, and post-conflict trajectories in intrastate wars, with emphasis on local support, institutional engagement, and conflict outcomes.
UN Peacekeeping
Effectiveness, legitimacy, operational dynamics, troop-contributing country behavior, and civilian protection outcomes in UN peacekeeping missions.
Research Methods
Experimental design, panel data analysis, time-series methods, duration analysis, difference-in-differences, interrupted time-series designs, and causal mediation analysis.
Education
| Year | Degree |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Ph.D. in Political Science (major: International Relations; minor: Comparative Politics), University of Houston, Texas, United States |
| 2016 | M.A. in International Relations, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey |
| 2014 | B.A. in Translation Studies & Political Science, Çankaya University, Ankara, Turkey |
Where Academia Took Me
This globe shows the locations where I have lived, worked, presented research, or participated in conferences and workshops. Academia has turned me into a bit of a nomad, and honestly that is one of the things I appreciate most about this job. It has given me the chance to spend time in many different places, meet people from different academic communities, and exchange ideas along the way. I leave this here as a small reminder to keep going and hopefully add many more places in the years ahead.
(Click pins for details; zoom to explore.)