Lesley Masters

I am a senior lecturer in the field of International Relations and Diplomacy. This includes teaching on subjects such as diplomacy, the UN, global governance, the politics of the global south.

As the course leader for the MA International Relations and MA International Relations and Security, I am involved in post-graduate teaching and supervision.

I supervise at the PhD level and welcome research proposals on questions of diplomacy, international agency of non-state actors, and South African foreign policy. This aligns with my own research area that focuses on the changing nature of diplomacy and how this should be approached.

Prior to working at NTU I was a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Johannesburg SARChI Chair in African Foreign Policy and Diplomacy, these are links I continue to maintain as a Senior Associate.

Before joining academia, I was the programme manager for the foreign policy and diplomacy programme at the Institute for Global Dialogue, a foreign policy think tank based in Pretoria, South Africa

My research interests centre on foreign policy and diplomacy with an emphasis on building an understanding of the role of state and non-state actors in global governance. This includes research on climate change diplomacy, science diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy amongst other areas of diplomatic engagement. As part of this analysis, I am interested in growing diplomatic studies networks and enhancing the teaching of diplomacy within Higher Education.

In addition to my work on promoting the study of diplomacy, I am actively engaged in research on South African foreign policy and am part of the editorial team of the South African Foreign Policy Review. This links to my research work on African agency and globalising international relations, showcasing the contributions of African theory and practice to international relations.