Biography
Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings is the Associate Director of Research at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, and Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Before joining Deakin in 2018, Nazanin completed her doctoral studies at City University of Hong Kong.
Read more on Nazanin's profileUnits taught
2023 units
AHA721: Dynamics and Dilemmas of the Humanitarian Sector
ADH701: The Humanitarian World
ADH702: The Humanitarian-Development Nexus
AHA722: Applied Humanitarian Assistance: From Theory to Practice
Previous units
AHA724: Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Humanitarian Contexts
ADH703: Evidence and Decision Making in Humanitarian Action
Humanitarian Action Team Internship (HATI)
Knowledge areas
Humanitarian aid, international relations, North Korea, civil society, humanitarian education, geopolitics of aid, international organisations, humanitarian-development nexus
Conferences
Selected conferences
2021 Conference on Humanitarian Studies - New Realities of Politics and Humanitarianism: Between Solidarity and Abandonment (3-5 November 2021, Sciences Po, Paris/virtual)
2021 Humanitarian Leadership Conference (28-29 April 2021, Centre for Humanitarian Leadership at Deakin University, virtual)
North Korea International: (Re)Evaluating, (Re)Viewing, and (Re)Connecting in a COVID World (6 October 2020, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, Seoul/virtual)
Second Biennial Melbourne Metropolitan Korean Studies Meeting (17 July 2020, Monash University, virtual)
2019 Asia Pacific Humanitarian Leadership Conference (22-24 May 2019, Centre for Humanitarian Leadership at Deakin University, virtual)
World Congress for Korean Politics and Society 2019 (24-26 June 2019, Konkuk University, Seoul)
Professional activities
Board member, International Humanitarian Studies Association (2022 - present)
Steering committee member, HPass (2022 - present)
Media appearances
Selected media appearances
‘Humanitarian studies programmes in short supply in Africa’ by Wagdy Sawahel, 17 March 2022, University World News: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220308103932835
'In the first few years of life, 1 in 5 North Korean kids suffer stunted growth' by Won-Gi Jung, 5 May 2021, NK News: https://www.nknews.org/2021/05/one-in-5-north-korean-kids-suffer-from-stunted-growth/
'North Korea says it’s ‘gravely concerned’ about Australian human rights abuses' by Chad O'Carroll, 22 January 2021, NK News: https://www.nknews.org/2021/01/north-korea-says-its-gravely-concerned-about-australian-human-rights-abuses/
'Typhoon Bavi strikes North Korea amid pandemic lockdown' by Jason Strother, 27 August 2020, The World: https://theworld.org/stories/2020-08-27/typhoon-bavi-strikes-north-korea-amid-pandemic-lockdown
'Coronavirus fears in North Korea as closed China border deals blow to economy' by John Power, 13 February 2020: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3050251/coronavirus-fears-north-korea-closed-china-border
Selected commentary
'Need, Aid, and Root Causes: The Appropriateness of Humanitarian Response in the DPRK' by Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, 8 April 2021, Global North Korea: https://globalnk.org/commentary/view?cd=COM000048#_ftn16
'Why diversity matters for humanitarian negotiation' by Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, 24 August 2021, Centre for Humanitarian Leadership: https://www.centreforhumanitarianleadership.org/the-centre/news/diversity-and-humanitarian-negotiation/
'North Korea’s silent health crisis' by Gianlucca Spezza and Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, 25 February 2019, The New Humanitarian: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2019/02/25/north-korea-s-silent-health-crisis
'The Hanoi US-North Korea Summit: Why Pyongyang’s Crippled Economy Is Central' by Gianluca Spezza and Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, 25 February 2019, The Diplomat, https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/the-hanoi-us-north-korea-summit-why-pyongyangs-crippled-economy-is-central/
Projects
Current research projects
Transnational Engagement with North Korea: The Potential for Experience Based Learning
Collaborator: Mr James Banfill (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue)
This project explores the potential of experiential learning, such as simulation and/or serious games, to inform and prepare individuals for effective engagement with North Korea.
Transitional Justice in Korea: A Role for Australia?
Collaborators: Dr Danielle Chubb (Deakin University), Dr Sarah Son (Sheffield University)
Funded by the Academy of Korean Studies, this project considers how Australia may support current and future transitional justice initiatives on the Korean peninsula.
Other projects
Humanitarian Leader
I am the Editor in Chief of the Humanitarian Leader, a monthly working paper series published by the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership. We publish papers that deal with concepts of leadership in the humanitarian system, as well as ideas useful to humanitarian decision-makers, or that interact with core concepts of the humanitarian system. https://centreforhumanitarianleadership.org/research/the-humanitarian-leader/
Publications
Shaping the Humanitarian Arena: South Korean, American, and Christian NGOs in North Korea
Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
(2023), pp. 17-36, Korea and the Global Society, London, Eng., B1
Preparing for transitional justice in North Korea
N Zadeh-Cummings, S Son, D Chubb
(2022), Vol. 76, pp. 121-129, Australian Journal of International Affairs, London, England, C1
Mastering humanitarianism? A survey of postgraduate humanitarian courses
A Stibral, N Zadeh-Cummings, M Clarke
(2022), pp. 1-20, Higher Education, Berlin, Germany, C1
International engagement with North Korea: disability, human rights and humanitarian aid
D Chubb, N Zadeh-Cummings
(2022), pp. 1-18, Third World Quarterly, London, Eng., C1
The impact of sanctions against North Korea on humanitarian aid
Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Lauren Harris
(2020), Vol. 2, pp. 44-52, Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, Manchester, Eng., C1
Humanitarian Aid in North Korea: Needs, Sanctions and Future Challenges
Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Lauren Harris
(2020), Geelong, Vic., A6
Funded Projects at Deakin
Industry and Other Funding
Transitional Justice in Korea: A Role for Australia?
A/Prof Danielle Chubb, Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
The Academy of Korean Studies
- 2020: $24,732
UNFPA Humanitarian Leadership Training Program
Ms Mary Ana McGlasson, A/Prof Cai Wilkinson, Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
The United Nations Population Fund
- 2023: $43,286
- 2022: $145,609
Changing the way the world responds to humanitarian crises: train current and future humanitarian leaders as innovative thinkers and dynamic achievers.
Ms Mary Ana McGlasson, A/Prof Cai Wilkinson, Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Mrs Justine De Rouck, Ms Manika Saha
Action Against Hunger - USA
- 2023: $935,512
- 2022: $599,433
- 2021: $700,453
Humanitarian (Re)Engagement With North Korea
Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings
CAT 3-5 IFES Academic and Policy Research Projects on North Korea and Unification
- 2023: $23,204
Supervisions
Rachel Coghlan
Thesis entitled: Caring for the seriously ill and dying in humanitarian crisis and conflict: Shifting a 'usual' palliative care paradigm to Gaza's own
Doctor of Philosophy, School of Humanities and Social Sciences