Hi! My name is Rena Melis Baydag. I am a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Freiburg, and an Associate Researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

I hold a PhD in Social Sciences (Political Science/International Relations) from Ruhr University Bochum (Chair of International Politics), where I served as a Research Associate and Lecturer gaining extensive experience in independent teaching and research. I have lectured at the Technical University of Munich (Chair of European and Global Governance), was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Wrocław, and held multiple guest research appointments at IDOS. I hold a BSc and MSc in IR from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.

My research interests lie in International Relations (IR) and International Political Economy (IPE), with a focus on domestic politics of foreign economic policy, global economic governance, the politics of aid, international cooperation, and middle powers. I independently teach undergraduate and graduate courses, supervise student research on IR theories, international political economy, global governance, emerging powers, international organizations and regional and European integration.