Hesham Sallam, Scholar of Arab Politics, Appointed Associate Director for Research at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
Effective July 1, 2023, Sallam will oversee the Center’s research programs and initiatives, develop and implement its research strategy, and provide leadership and support to faculty, researchers, and pre- and postdoctoral fellows, in addition to continuing his role as associate director of CDDRL’s Program on Arab Reform and Democracy.
The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, is pleased to announce that Hesham Sallam has been promoted to Associate Director for Research at CDDRL, effective July 1, 2023.
A research scholar at CDDRL, Sallam joined the Center in 2013 as a pre-doctoral fellow while completing his Ph.D. in government at Georgetown University. He returned full-time in 2015 to serve as Associate Director for its Program on Arab Reform and Democracy, assuming operational management and developing the program's research initiatives and activities at Stanford and throughout the Arab world. He is also a co-editor of Jadaliyya ezine, a member of the editorial committee of the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), and a former program specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace (2006-09). His research focuses on authoritarianism, political Islam, and leftist movements in the Arab world.
"I am delighted that Hesham will be stepping into this leadership role at CDDRL,” shared Kathryn Stoner, the Center’s Mosbacher Director. “He is among the most knowledgeable and insightful analysts of political developments in the Arab world today and has been an exceptional leader of our Program on Arab Reform and Democracy. His promotion is well-deserved recognition of his many contributions to CDDRL and the field of Middle East Studies."
"I am so pleased that all of CDDRL will benefit from the extraordinary intellectual and programmatic leadership that Hesham has shown in building the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy,” said Larry Diamond, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at FSI. “Hesham is that rare talent who is both a gifted program leader and an outstanding scholar—widely respected for his scholarship on the evolution of politics and governance in Egypt and across the Arab world."
Sallam assumes the role of Associate Director for Research following Didi Kuo, who was recently appointed an FSI Center Fellow. “It has been a privilege to serve as Associate Director for Research at CDDRL, and I am thrilled that Hesham is stepping into the role,” she shared. “He brings deep expertise and experience to CDDRL’s vibrant intellectual community and is a wonderful colleague and scholar.”
In this role, Sallam will oversee the Center’s research programs and initiatives, develop and implement its research strategy, provide leadership and support to faculty, researchers, and pre- and postdoctoral fellows, and build relationships with key stakeholders in the international research community. “As Associate Director for Research of CDDRL,” Diamond added, “Hesham will be devoted to keeping the Center on the cutting edge of scholarship while nurturing a strong sense of community among faculty, staff, students, and visitors committed to democracy, development, and the rule of law."
Upon his promotion, Sallam expressed his gratitude and shared his aspirations for the future, saying, "I'm excited to work with CDDRL's leadership and community to continue advancing our mission of promoting cutting-edge research, supporting the work of junior scholars at Stanford and beyond, and elevating and centering the voices of advocates of progressive change throughout the world. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve the CDDRL and Stanford communities in this new capacity, besides my continuing commitment to the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy."
Before coming to Stanford, Sallam was a Peace Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace (2011-12). His research has received the support of the Social Science Research Council. He is the author of Classless Politics: Islamist Movements, the Left, and Authoritarian Legacies in Egypt (Columbia University Press, 2022), co-editor of Struggles for Political Change in the Arab World: Regimes, Oppositions, and External Actors after the Spring (University of Michigan Press, 2022), and editor of Egypt's Parliamentary Elections 2011-2012: A Critical Guide to a Changing Political Arena (Tadween Publishing, 2013). Sallam received a Ph.D. in Government (2015) and an M.A. in Arab Studies (2006) from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh (2003).
