François Sennesael

François is a doctoral candidate in Politics at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. His research focuses on state-building and post-liberation politics in Africa, more particularly regionalism in the Sudans and the construction of political identities. He also works on the regional political dynamics in the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and Uganda). François' research has been supervised by Professor Ricardo Soares de Oliveira.

His work is at the intersection between comparative politics and political sociology.

François has extensive experience in Central and Eastern Africa, where he worked in the diplomatic and humanitarian sectors in Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been working as a consultant for international organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Crisis Group and the World Food Programme of the United Nations.

François has been teaching Comparative Politics and African Politics at Oxford and at Sciences Po Paris (France).

François holds a BSc in Political Science (UCLouvain, Belgium), a Bachelor of Laws (UCLouvain, Belgium), a MPhil in International Relations (UCLouvain, Belgium) and a MSc in African Studies (first-class) from the University of Oxford, where he also received the African Studies Centre Prize for excellent dissertation.

Awards

• Lady Margaret Hall Graduate Scholarship, CCCS (2022)

• Santander Academic Travel Award (2022)

• The Anwyl Burton Graduate Bursary, Lady Margaret Hall (2021)

• The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust Award (2021)

• Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Summer Program, University of Syracuse (2021)

• Wallonia-Brussels International Scholarship of Excellence (2021)

• Lady Margaret Hall Graduate Scholarship in Recognition of Excellent Results (2020)

• Oxford African Studies Centre Prize for Excellent Dissertation (2020)

• King Baudouin Foundation Scholar (2012-2013)