A. Burcu Bayram Named Endowed Chair and Launches New Research on Global Disaster Governance

Thanks to Dean Raines' commitment to supporting faculty research, the Department of Political Science enters the 2026-27 academic year in the fortunate position of having two faculty members appointed to the Sylvia G. Swartz Endowed Chair position in Political Science.

In addition to Dr. Sebold, Dr. A. Burcu Bayram, associate professor of political science, has been named the 2026-27 Sylvia G. Swartz Endowed Chair. The appointment will provide critical support as Bayram launches a new research program examining global disaster governance that will lay the foundation for her planned book, Contested Reconstruction. The book will examine how governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations and local communities interact in the complex process of rebuilding after major disasters.

The Swartz appointment will take Bayram's research beyond the university and into communities confronting and negotiating the realities of recovery. As part of the project, she plans to conduct field research in Hatay, Turkey, one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023. 

The Hatay fieldwork will help launch Bayram's broader multi-year research agenda on disaster recovery and global governance. By bringing insights from International Relations into the study of disaster reconstruction, Bayram hopes to better understand not only how communities recover, but also why some approaches to rebuilding generate greater cooperation, legitimacy and resilience than others.

"I am deeply honored to be appointed as the Sylvia G. Swartz Endowed Chair in Political Science," Bayram said. "The support provided by the Swartz Chair appointment creates an extraordinary opportunity to launch this new research program and take it into the field. I am grateful for the university's investment in faculty research and for the opportunity to pursue work that I hope will contribute to a deeper understanding of how communities rebuild and recover after disasters. I am also thrilled that this appointment will help me translate my scholarship to new teaching and learning opportunities for our students and position me to pursue external funding." 

About Professor A. Burcu Bayram

A nationally and internationally recognized scholar of international relations, Bayram joined the U of A nearly a decade ago. Her research spans global development, international organizations, foreign policy, and survey and experimental methodology. Drawing on insights from psychology, communication and behavioral economics, her scholarship examines how social, cognitive and emotional factors shape individual and group attitudes toward development, institutional and diplomatic cooperation in world politics.

Bayram's research has appeared in leading journals in political science and international studies. Her scholarship, teaching and mentorship have earned multiple honors, including the 2023 OMNI Center Faculty Award for World Peace & Justice and the 2026 Department of Political Science Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. She has also received three Outstanding Mentor Awards from the Arkansas Division of Higher Education in 2025 and 2026 for excellence in undergraduate research supervision.

Bayram has held leadership positions in both the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the International Studies Association (ISA) and serves as an associate editor of the journal Foreign Policy Analysis. She received her Ph.D. in political science from the Ohio State University, with specializations in international relations, political psychology and survey research. More information about her scholarship is available at https://www.burcubayram.net.