Diplomatic Studies staff profiles
The Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme (DSP), formerly known as the Foreign Service Programme (FSP), is a full-time programme of mixed academic and vocational study of diplomacy and related subjects.
Current staff profiles can be found below. For more information about the programme please visit the DSP programme page.
Programme Director
Dr Yolanda Spies, Director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme
Dr Yolanda Kemp Spies is an alumna of the Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme, which she now directs. She served as a South African diplomat for 18 years before joining academia in 2005. Her doctoral studies on diplomatic training for developing countries resulted in her designing a customised Master of Diplomatic Studies for the University of Pretoria; a programme she directed until 2016. Thereafter she taught diplomacy at various other universities, inter alia as adjunct professor at Webster University in Accra, Ghana and as Associate Professor: International Studies at Zayed University, UAE. Since 2016 she has also been a Senior Research Fellow of the SARCHI Chair in African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, University of Johannesburg; and in 2020 she was appointed as Senior Fellow of the Geneva-based DiploFoundation. Her research areas include diplomacy; foreign policy analysis; international organization; international law; conflict resolution; changing global power relations; African politics; and the theory and ethics of international relations. This eclectic, interdisciplinary research range was reflected in her two books on the theory and practice of diplomacy, both published in 2019 (respectively ‘Global Diplomacy and International Society’ and ‘Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy’).
Diplomatic Practice
Paul Docherty, Lecturer and Course Convenor for Diplomatic Practice
Paul Docherty has spent most of his career in the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. After reading Economic History at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, he taught English Language and Literature in Spain and at Moscow State University. He then joined the British Council after completing his M.Litt in Linguistics and his first overseas post was in Helsinki. He subsequently served as Cultural Attaché/Deputy Director of the British Council in Moscow, and Cultural Counsellor/Director of the British Council in Prague, Rome, and Paris. Postings in the UK included Director Communications, Director Scotland, and Director UK 2012. Paul has wide-ranging interests in international relations and diplomacy, especially cultural relations, public and cultural diplomacy and soft power, and has delivered guest lectures on these topics at universities and institutions across Europe and in the UK. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2008. During September 2022 he was appointed as a full-time Lecturer in Diplomatic Studies by the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education.
International Politics
Dr Vahid Nick Pay, Director of Graduate Studies (DGS-T), Departmental Lecturer in International Politics
Dr Vahid Nick Pay is a full-time departmental lecturer in International Politics and Research Methods and serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for Postgraduate Taught Programmes (DGS). He is a Fellow of Kellogg College, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is also an official academic advisor to the UK government's Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
As a multidisciplinary scholar, Dr Nick Pay's expertise spans various fields within Social Sciences and Information Technology, including Political Philosophy, Diplomacy, Security Studies, Linguistics, Computer Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. His postgraduate studies encompass Linguistics, Computer Engineering, AI, and Politics and International Relations.
Prior to joining Oxford in 2018, he held academic positions at several prestigious institutions: Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan (Iraq), Adjunct Professor in International Relations at the University of Paris (Paris Descartes), and Lecturer positions at Sciences Po Paris, the University of Milan (Linguistics and Discourse Analysis), and Islamic Azad University, Iran (Linguistics). His excellence in teaching was recognised with a Teaching Excellence Award in 2018. He also holds the French higher education teaching and supervision qualification (habilitation).
Dr Nick Pay has undertaken numerous leadership roles throughout his academic career, including Chair of Exam Boards, Academic Director, Academic Advisor, and Director of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies. He has served on various academic management boards and was a member of the Management Committee at the Centre for International Studies (DPIR-University of Oxford).
Complementing his academic expertise, Dr Nick Pay brings substantial experience from both governmental and private sectors. His diverse professional background includes service at the rank of Captain in two national armies (Infantry) and works with prominent organisations such as the BBC, Vidal, and the French National Healthcare Authority.
Alongside his full-time lectureship, Dr Nick Pay actively engages with public education through short courses and weekend programmes. For the 2023-2024 academic year he offered four public courses: Ethnic and Religious Conflicts, Terrorism in the 21st Century, Religion in International Politics and Oxford University's first course in AI Governance. He is currently developing a comprehensive postgraduate programme in AI Governance.
International Trade and Finance
Dr Nikos Theodorakis, Lecturer and Course Convenor, International Trade and Finance
nikolaos.theodorakis@conted.ox.ac.uk
Dr. Nikolaos (Nikos) Theodorakis is a Lecturer at the Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme and a Fellow at Stanford Law School. His interests include international trade law and finance, public international law, and EU law. Nikos is also a practising lawyer for an international law firm. Prior to joining Oxford, Nikos taught and conducted research at the University of Cambridge, Harvard Law School, and Columbia Law School. He also gained professional experience at the U.S. Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, the Kluge Center at the U.S. Library of Congress and the UK Ministry of Justice. Nikos has received awards from several bodies, including the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, ESRC, British Academy and Greek Parliament. He has served as a consultant for the OECD, UNICRI, and other international organisations. Nikos has been widely published and regularly receives invitations for public engagements, including guest lectures around the world, international symposia and TEDx conferences.
Public International Law
Dr Thiago Alves Pinto, Lecturer and Course Convenor, Public International Law
thiago.alvespinto@conted.ox.ac.uk
Thiago Alves Pinto holds a DPhil in Law from the University of Oxford. He is currently a Departmental Lecturer in Legal Studies and Diplomatic Studies, as well as the Director of Studies in Religion and Theology at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. He is also a fellow of Kellogg College.
Thiago has taught Public International Law and International Human Rights Law courses and delivered guest lectures at several universities in the UK, the US, Norway, Brazil, and Nigeria. He has also participated in human rights research at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief and continues to be associated with both institutes.
Beyond academia, Thiago has also been actively involved with NGOs, Think Tanks, Parliamentarians, and international organisations, having worked with the UN OHCHR, UNESCO, IOM, IPPFORB, and Chatham House. In 2022, he was appointed a member of the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief and has been invited as an expert to international fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council and the G20.
Dr Tsvetelina van Benthem, Lecturer, Public International Law
tsvetelina.vanbenthem@merton.ox.ac.uk
Tsvetelina van Benthem is a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) and Merton College. Tsvetelina is a generalist international lawyer, with a specific interest in the areas of human rights law, international humanitarian law, international criminal law and the regulation of emerging technologies. At ELAC, Tsvetelina works on the Oxford Process on International Law Protections in Cyberspace. Her DPhil, funded by the James Upcher Memorial Scholarship, focuses on unintended engagements in armed conflict. Tsvetelina holds law degrees from Sofia University 'St Kliment Ohridski' (LL.M) and the University of Oxford (MJur, Distinction, and MPhil). She was a Merton Lawyers’ Scholar during her MJur, was awarded the Planethood Foundation Prize for the best paper in International Criminal Law and a Merton College prize for overall exam performance. Her paper 'The Shape of Trauma: Mental Harm and Armed Conflict' (2022) was awarded an honourable mention by the European Society of International Law. Tsvetelina has taught International law for the Oxford Law Faculty, the Stanford in Oxford Program, and the Department for Continuing Education. Tsvetelina co-convenes the Oxford Transitional Justice Research Group and is the President of the Bulgarian-registered Centre for International Law 'Erga Omnes'.
Academic Literacy
Samuel McIlroy, Tutor, Academic Writing
Sam McIlroy is Head of Academic English at the University Language Centre. Sam specialises in English for Academic Purposes and academic literacies. He has a BA (Hons) in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge, an MA in Latin American Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester, an MA in Applied Linguistics (distinction) from the University of Nottingham, and a Diploma in Spanish from the Open University.
Sam has extensive experience working and teaching in a diverse range of countries, such as Spain, Turkey, China, Kazakhstan, and Colombia. His expertise spans various educational contexts, frequently involving transnational projects within universities. As an English for Academic Purposes practitioner, Sam has a particular interest in developing learners' academic writing and has designed many courses and curricula in this area. His scholarship interests focus on genre pedagogies, task-based learning and teaching, and discourse analysis.
English Language
Jon Hird, Tutor, English Language
Jon Hird is an ELT professional based in Oxford, UK, where he divides his time between teaching at the University of Oxford, teacher training and writing ELT materials. Jon has also previously taught in Paris, France and for a short time in Skopje, North Macedonia and has delivered training sessions and been a conference speaker in around 30 countries. Jon has a particular interest in grammar, academic and professional English. His publications include ‘Oxford EAP’, ‘Oxford Learner’s Pocket Verbs and Tenses’ and ‘Spoken Grammar’, published by Pavilion ELT in 2025. He has also written components of a number of course book series and other grammar and ELT resource material. Jon has a BSc (hons), PGCE, MA TESOL (distinction) and DipTEFLA. In his free time, Jon plays the drums.
Administration Team
Adina Henson, Assistant Course Manager
Adina Henson is a graduate of Meredith College, NC, and Emmanuel College, GA, in the United States, and holds degrees in both Religion and Music. She has worked in the University of Oxford since 1999 (when her husband came to do a DPhil), in the areas of departmental administration, research facilitation, human resources, and student administration. Her interests include classical singing, travel, and theatre. Adina joined the Diplomatic Studies Programme as Assistant Course Manager in June 2023.
Joe O'Connell, Course Administrator
Joe O'Connell graduated from Roehampton University in 2012 where he studied Classical Civilisation. He went on to work in the Travel and Tourism industry taking a year out in 2015 to travel to New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. His interests include food, travel, history and music. He joined the Diplomatic Studies Programme as Course Administrator in September 2022.
