Dr. Arif Sahar

Dr Arif is the lead for the Political Violence theme within CENTRIC. His research mainly focuses on international security and terrorism. Prior to this appointment, Arif worked as a researcher at the University of Derby, where his research particularly focused on education and social development. He holds a BA in Law/Sociology and MA in Politics from University College London (UCL). Completing his PhD on the political economy of state building in post-2001 Afghanistan with a particular emphasis on education at UCL-Institute of Education. 

Arif is widely published in peer-reviewed academic journals, most recently in Central Asian Survey, Research in Comparative and International Education, Asian Journal of Political Science, Terrorism and Political Violence, Social Sciences, European Journal of International Security, and The Diplomat.  He currently co-supervises a PhD project that takes a comparative look into theories and practices in Australia and in the UK. 

Arif welcomes PhD proposals in the fields of; 1. Broader domains of political violence  2. Terrorism, international security and violent extremism/ radicalisation  3. Education and international development in conflict-affected contexts.  He is the founding director of Kabul-based think-tank, Centre for Peace & Development Studies. And has served as senior adviser to the Afghan Government and numerous international development agencies including, WB, UNDP, and DfID.