Alice D. Ba, acting chair of the University of Delaware Department of Political Science and International Relations, has been appointed Emma Smith Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations at UD. The appointment was effective September 1.

Ba’s area of research is international relations of East and Southeast Asia. Her work focuses on the structures and processes of regionalism and regional integration, cooperative regime building; and the asymmetric relations /strategies of smaller and major powers. Ba’s recent work has addressed the role of strategic narratives and the changing conditions of regional cooperation in Asia.

Ba earned her doctorate in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. She joined UD as an assistant professor in 2000.

Her recent publications include “Vietnam's Cautious Response to China’s BRI: The Imperatives of Domestic Legitimation,” with Sy Thanh Pham, published in the journal Asian Perspectives, as well as “Diversification's Legitimation Challenges: ASEAN & Its Myanmar Predicament,” in International Affairs.

“Alice Ba is a renowned scholar of international relations who has contributed greatly to scholarship in her field,” said Debra Hess Norris, interim dean, UD’s College of Arts and Sciences. “She also is deeply committed to our shared mission of student success,” noted Norris. “UD is fortunate to have someone so dedicated to research, teaching and service.”​