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Deakin academics Australia's go-to experts on the Middle East
DEAKIN IN THE NEWS
21 May 2026
Deakin University academics have become media’s go-to experts on the war in Iran and the Middle East, reflecting the University's leading position in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies research.
Deakin’s researchers were mentioned more than 2,700 times in Australian media over the six-month period from 15 October 2025–15 April 2026.
Deakin academics provided expert commentary on major regional developments including US and Israel military actions in Iran and Lebanon, the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. They also addressed domestic issues such as Muslim integration in Australia, hate crime laws, the repatriation of former ISIS supporters, and asylum offers to Iran's women's soccer team.
Key voices include Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, Professor Greg Barton, Dr Ali Mamouri and Dr Andrew Thomas, who have appeared on the ABC, Sky News, SBS News, The Guardian, The Australian, Herald Sun, commercial free-to-air networks, and international outlets including the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Radio New Zealand.
TV, Radio print and digital journalists turn to Deakin academics for informed interpretation grounded in research, history, and regional knowledge, with daily requests for expert analytics on the fast-evolving situation.
The leading university on the Middle East
The Australian's 2026 Research Magazine ranked Deakin as Australia's top university in the Middle Eastern affairs, also recognising Deakin as the national leader in diplomacy and international relations, ethnic and cultural studies, human migration, religion and military studies.
Each year, The Australian names the top researchers and top research institutions in 250 fields of research, based on the quality and impact of their work.
For three consecutive years from 2024 to 2026, Deakin’s Dr Zouhir Gabsi has been named Australia's leading researcher in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies by the Australian Research Magazine. Dr Gabsi has spoken to media about the consequences of normalising anti-Muslim rhetoric in Australian politics in the wake of the Bondi terror attack in December 2025.
Professor Simon Tormey, Executive Dean of Deakin’s Faculty of Arts and Education said at a time when social cohesion in Australia is under increasing strain, the value of nuanced and evidence-based commentary has become even more critical.
‘Deakin has incredible depth of expertise across the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and our academics play a vital role in giving evidence-based and nuanced perspectives on important issues that lead mainstream news headlines,’ Professor Tormey said.
‘Public discourse is often shaped by rapid news cycles and the amplification of simplistic narratives that can obscure the complexity of global and domestic challenges.'
At a time of polarised opinion, Deakin’s rigorous academic insight provides an essential counterweight—grounding debate in historical context, evidence, and careful analysis rather than speculation and fearmongering.
Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University
Professor Akbarzadeh, a regular commentator for Australian and international outlets, said Deakin scholars bring years of on-the-ground experience to this regional study.
‘We are often invited to present expert advice to government inquiries on the Middle East,' he said.
'We offer deep insights on the region, how it works and how it affects us in Australia,’
Our academics on the Middle East are widely cited and include past and present ARC Future Fellows. We have published in top tier journals: Third World Quarterly, the International Journals of Middle East Studies, Middle East Policy and Religion.
Director, Deakin Middle East Studies Forum
Deakin’s Middle East Forum hosts international and national events, including a biennial Middle East studies conference for researchers, students and policymakers.
Deakin University experts are available for comment on current events in Iran and the Middle East.
Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh
Director of the Middle East Studies Forum
Expertise: Middle East politics, Iran war, Iranian foreign policy
Professor Greg Barton
Chair In Global Islamic Politics
Expertise: Middle Eastern affairs, Iran war, Indonesia, Islam, Muslim society, and politics, terrorism, violent extremism
Dr Zouhir Gabsi
Senior lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies
Expertise: Islamophobia, the Arab Spring, Youth Identity, and Islamic Discourse
Professor Benjamin Isakhan
Australian Research Council Future Fellow
Expertise: Middle Eastern politics, heritage studies, heritage destruction
Professor Fethi Mansouri
Founding Director of the Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation
Expertise: global Islamic politics, interculturalism and multiculturalism, the relationship between religious and cultural identity and Muslim cultures in Australia.
Dr Ali Mamouri
Research Fellow
Expertise: religion and secularism, extremism, and terrorism, Iran and Iraq
Dr Virginie Rey
Senior Research Fellow
Expertise: Non-Western museologies, Middle East and North Africa, Islamic art
Dr Andrew Thomas
Lecturer of International Relations and Middle East Studies
Expertise: Middle East politics, Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iran war
Professsor Ihsan Yilmaz
Research Chair in Islamic Studies and Intercultural Dialogue
Expertise: Islamic affairs, authoritarianism, transnationalism, civilizational populism, digital authoritarianism, and political Islam