Academic Biography

My name is Stam Kamil Saeed, and I was born on July 17, 1988. My academic journey has been shaped by a deep engagement with multiple disciplines, pursued in different places and through diverse methods of learning.

From an early age, I had the opportunity to take part in an educational experiment that allowed me to skip the sixth grade and advance directly to middle school. Alongside my formal education in middle and high school, I informally studied religion and learned Arabic, fostering an early intellectual curiosity that would later define my academic path.

I earned my BA in Political Science from the University of Sulaimani in 2011, graduating with very good standing. During my undergraduate years, I also pursued informal studies in philosophy, broadening my intellectual horizons beyond the structured curriculum. Later that year, I was awarded the Human Capacity Development Programme (HCDP) Scholarship, which enabled me to pursue an MA in Political Philosophy at the University of Exeter, UK. I completed my MA with distinction, an experience that proved to be a defining chapter in my academic life. Studying at Exeter’s Department of Politics under the guidance of renowned European political thinkers was both enriching and transformative, solidifying my passion for political thought.

Upon returning to my country in 2015, I secured a teaching position at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sulaimani, where I have since primarily taught classical and modern political thought. I also served as Deputy Head of the Department, contributing to both academic and administrative responsibilities.

In pursuit of continued intellectual and professional growth, I undertook additional studies in epistemology (theory of knowledge) through an online course at the University of Oxford (January–March 2019). From April 2019 to May 2020, I participated in a pedagogical training course at Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland, as part of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's initiative to reform higher education through innovative teaching, assessment, and learning methodologies.

Since 2019, the Ministry of Higher Education has established Centers for Pedagogical Training and Academic Development, with the University of Sulaimani playing a leading role in this regional initiative. Since then, I have been serving as the Director of the Center, where we train new generations of MA and PhD holders through an intensive six-month program focused on innovative teaching and assessment methods, student-centered learning, competence-based education, and edupreneurship.

Most recently, in 2024, I was awarded the Iraqi HCED Scholarship to pursue a PhD in Politics. Soon, I look forward to embarking on this next academic journey at King’s College London, further deepening my research and intellectual pursuits.