Hi! My name is Rena Melis Baydag. I am a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Chair of International Relations at the University of Freiburg and an associate researcher in the Department Inter- and Transnational Cooperation at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Germany.

I was previously a research associate at Ruhr University Bochum, served as a lecturer at the Chair of European and Global Governance at the Technical University of Munich and worked as a researcher at IDOS, where I have also held several guest research positions since 2017. In 2023, I was a visiting lecturer at the University of Wrocław. I hold a PhD in Social Sciences from Ruhr University and obtained my BSc and MSc in IR from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey.

My research interests lie in the International Relations discipline delving into international political economy, domestic politics theories, politics of aid, international cooperation and middle powers. I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on IR theories, interantional political economy, global governance, emerging powers, international organizations and regional integration.