Introduction

Prior to joining Zayed University as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Denis Sullivan spent the past 30 years at Northeastern University as a professor of political science and international affairs, with a specialization in the Middle East. Dean Sullivan received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

Professor Sullivan is the author of dozens of journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs, blogs and encyclopedia entries plus a number of books, with special focus on Egypt, civil society, Islamism, and Egyptian-American security and economic relations. His current work focuses on the Syrian and Yemen civil wars and refugee crises, and on citizenship in the Middle East.  

Dr. Sullivan was founding Director of Northeastern’s International Affairs Program, Director of the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, and founder of Northeastern’s Dialogue of Civilizations Program.  For over 25 years, Dr. Sullivan has led academic and professional development programs to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Oman, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, and Greece. He mentored numerous faculty members as they developed and implemented their own programs around the world. "Dialogues" are interdisciplinary study programs that enable students to pursue their own professional and personal interests through an intensive, rigorous, and practical experience, under the supervision and mentoring of a faculty member.

Dr. Sullivan has managed millions of USD in grants and awards from Fulbright-Hays, Rotary International, Center for Arabic Study Abroad, American Research Center in Egypt, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fulbright Scholars Program, Social Science Research Council, Institute for International Education, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.