Derek Davison Email & Phone Number

Publisher of Foreign Exchanges (fx.substack.com), a Substack newsletter covering world affairs and US foreign policy.

Research and write on foreign affairs, U.S. foreign policy, and current events in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, focusing in particular on Iran and the crisis in Ukraine. Regular contributor/editor at LobeLog.

Responsible for conducting initial review of manuscripts accepted for publication in the monograph series, Chicago Studies on the Middle East, as well as articles under consideration for publication in the journal Mamlūk Studies Review. Bibliographic duties include regular updating of the bibliography to reflect the latest publications relating to Mamluk Studies as well as periodically communicating with the database designer to resolve system issues that may arise.

Taught weekly seminar to University of Chicago undergraduates writing senior theses to prepare them for conducting high-quality research in Middle East Studies, then mentored them through the process of writing their theses. Prepared and delivered lectures on topics specific to the study of the Middle East and historical research, including the nature of source material, reading critically, and trends in research and modern historiography.

Led weekly discussion section of roughly 15 students, introducing the readings for that week's session and guiding student discussion around the main arguments of each reading. Delivered one lecture to the full class, covering the history of Iran from the Qajar accession through the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Responsible for grading midterm and final exams for my discussion section.

Qatar Education Reform: Developed proposals and protocols for creating student assessment and school evaluation systems for K-12 students in Qatar. Worked on-site in Doha, Qatar on a variety of tasks related to project implementation and research. Developed and implemented a system for documenting and archiving the progress of the reform effort.Study of Educational Intermediaries in the Pittsburgh Region: Participated in design of protocols for interviewing intermediary organization directors. Coordinated interviews and participated in interviewing these directors. Reviewed literature related to the structures, functions, and theories of action of educational intermediaries in general, as well as literature related to the particular intermediaries being studied.CSS Training Development Project: Researched studies of empirical effectiveness of distance learning in military, university, and business training settings. Reviewed literature relating to measures of training motivation, satisfaction with training, reactions to training, and pre- and post-training self-efficacy.

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

Conducted statistical research and reviewed literature relating to three Pittsburgh-area industry clusters (information technology, biotechnology, and manufacturing). Co-wrote a report entitled "Southwestern Pennsylvania Industry Cluster Analysis" for the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Analyzed the factors that comprise a successful regional economy. Reviewed economic development theories and conducted statistical research on several input and output factors to assess their relationships to overall regional economic development. Presented preliminary findings to the client, the Regional Technology Policy Group (RTPG). Authored and administered the distribution of monthly electronic communications to both not-for-profit and for-profit partners that effectively enhanced the promotion of the research center. Designed, administered, and analyzed data from a survey measuring the community benefits of environmentally conscious manufacturing techniques; co-authored several papers detailing the findings. Conducted research and contributed to a report discussing the role played by recreational amenities and environmental quality in improving regional economic development.

Master'S Degree, Near Eastern Languages And Civilizations

Master'S Degree, Middle East Studies

Master'S Degree, Public Policy And Management

Bachelor'S Degree, History And Policy