YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jean-François Caron as the C. Judson King Endowed Visiting Professor for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. This Professorship, together with the William Frazer Endowed Professorship, was established through the generous contribution of the late Edward Avedisian in honor of his longtime fellow trustees on the AUA Board of Trustees.
Dr. Caron earned his Ph.D. in political science and international relations from the Université Laval, in Canada, and later pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the Université libre de Bruxelles (2010–2011). Before joining AUA, he served for 10 years as associate professor and subsequently chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University. His teaching and research interests focus on political theory and Central Asian politics.
An accomplished scholar, Dr. Caron has authored several books, published numerous peer-reviewed articles, and contributed to editorial projects. He serves as editor of the series The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia with Springer and Facing Contemporary Terrorism with De Gruyter. His work has been supported by a range of research grants, and he has organized major international conferences, including The Contestation of European Values from Afar through a 1.2 million euro Jean Monnet grant from the European Commission (Astana, September 2024) and Kazakhstan’s Political Transition (Nur-Sultan, September 2019), among others.
At AUA, Dr. Caron has joined the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, where he will contribute not only through teaching but also by engaging in research collaborations and new initiatives with colleagues.
Speaking about his motivation for applying to the C. Judson King Endowed Visiting Professorship, Dr. Caron explained: “My main motivation was to broaden my ongoing research on the post-Soviet region. After a decade in Central Asia, I hope this opportunity will allow me to expand my knowledge of the Caucasus region, its political and social challenges, and the role it will play in the 21st Century. As a political scientist, the tectonic plates of tomorrow’s world are moving beneath our feet in this region and being in this part of Eurasia offers a front-row seat to witnessing how empires are shaping the world’s future.”
Looking ahead to his work at AUA, Dr. Caron underscored the importance of collaboration: “I hope my time in Yerevan will allow me to build long-lasting ties with the talented scholars of AUA with whom I can generate impactful research. I’m especially hopeful that we can expand one of my book series, which is now focused on Central Asia, to include the Caucasus region. I am also looking forward to holding public talks and engaging with the broader academic and non-academic community of Yerevan.”
In addition to his broader Eurasia research, Dr. Caron is eager to connect his projects with new AUA initiatives: “I am very excited about the creation of the Center for Ethics in Public Affairs (ETICA) and the opportunity to collaborate with Professor Maria Baghramian on the ethics of technology and artificial intelligence. As I wrote in my most recent book, Artificial Intelligence and Life in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Summoning the Demon?, contemporary technologies pose tremendous challenges to our societies but also offer significant opportunities. It is of the utmost importance to understand them in order to take advantage of their potential in a responsible manner.”
Dr. Caron also noted that he plans to complete another book project on the erosion of the democratic social contract and the rise of authoritarianism worldwide. Drawing on his experiences in Central Asia, he emphasized the urgency of this research and expressed hope that his initiative, “The Social Contract Network,” composed of scholars from more than a dozen universities across the world, will also create opportunities for collaboration with AUA faculty.
In addition to his appointment as the C. Judson King Endowed Visiting Professor for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters, Dr. Caron will also serve as interim chair of the Master of Public Affairs program and the Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy program for the Fall 2025 semester.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.